Playing the Game
by Tendency
Summary: It's inevitable for power to bring detachment, and for extreme power to bring boredom: This is exactly what plagues the Youko, and the remedy is to make everything into entertainment. But in a game, you're not supposed to be able to die...Pre series.
1. Chapter One: The Game as it Stands

**UPDATE: 04/29/05** - _It should be known that I have come to despise (or at least seriously dislike) this chapter, and that it will be subject to several changes very soon. I really am sorry if this upsets some people, but I just can't let it stand like this any longer. If I could get some feedback on what people like and don't like about it, that would be great. I'm also thinking about changing some things in chapters two through four. Though, somehow I doubt that this story is going to be around for much longer, what with the 'no musical lyrics' rule. I could save it - but what the hell. I'll take my chances. I also kind of like leaving it up, just to be flying in the face of the rules.Better read while you can. ;) And ignore the story distrupting scene breaks that read BREAK - they're not my fault. Just direct your hatred to FFN._

**Summary**: It's inevitable for power to bring detachment, and for extreme power to bring boredom: Boredom is exactly what plagues beings like the Youko, and the remedy is to make everything into entertainment. But in a game, you're not supposed to be able to die...  
**Rating**: R  
**Type**: Pre-series, past fic, semi-movie (second) universe (I've taken the character of Kuronue, and left out the whole meikai bit)  
**Disclaimer**: Yu Yu Hakusho isn't mine, damnit.  
**Song Lyrics**: Are not mine. (But they're awesome anyway!)  
**Notes**: Hey, glad that you decided to take a look at this piece! For those that are wondering, Y/K stands for Youko/Kuronue. Before anybody gets too worried, let me say- NO, I personally don't believe that Kuronue existed in the actual YYH series universe, which is why I'm melding the series with the second movie and judiciously cutting what I didn't like (cough_meikai_cough). :) I'd better warn you, though, that I doubt this is going to unfold exactly like you imagine it will. After all, I'm not bringing Kuronue back from the dead, and I'm not having Kurama lusting after him when Hiei's right in front of his face: I'm writing about the time before they died. And this isn't a pile of fluff, either - Youko and Kuronue aren't in love, and never will be. They are demons, after all... suffice it to say that it's a very difficult relationship to explain. You'll have to read to get a better idea of what I mean.

If you want a really brilliant example of the difference in human and demon relationships, try reading _The Best Defense_ by JoIsBishMyoga - she really has the bead on this stuff. Compared to her work, I'm a second grader dabbling in the adult stuff with the 'not for kids' label.

This chapter is a little strange (hopefully not too strange), but I think that if you can get past it, you'll probably like the later ones better. I hope... O.o On another note - if you're uncomfortable with **yaoi** (guy-guy lovin'), then I suggest you don't venture any further. Or, if you still want to read, then you better be prepared to bite your tongue (though you might just want to not, and save your tongue the pain :P).

_(BREAK)_

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

_(BREAK)_

_In these days and these hours of fury,  
When the darkness and answers are thin,  
Lovers come and check out in a hurry,  
Shallow and hollow again.  
Come lay your body beside me, to dream,  
To sleep with the lamb.  
To the question your eyes seem to send,  
Am I your passion, your promise, your end?  
I say I am,  
Yes I am..._

_- **"Yes I Am,"** Melissa Etheridge_

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Chapter One

_(BREAK)_

"We could take them now, you know."

Somewhere in the shadows of the forest that stood by the road, somewhere out of earshot of the approaching caravan, a deep voice chuckled. "Patience, Kuronue. We must wait a little longer."

"Why?" insisted the first voice.

"Because it is no fun unless we draw it out."

"Narcissist. You just want a dramatic entrance, don't you?"

A smug sound. "It is tempting."

"Resist the temptation," Kuronue replied flatly, casting a glance out at the road. He was standing in a patch of moonlight, little more than a shadow in the darkness. His partner was even less than that, lounging in the shade several feet away, hidden almost entirely. His natural brilliance betrayed him, however, and even in the absolute darkness cast by the trees he could be seen as the greyest of ghosts, a silver shadow among the shadows.

Kuronue cast another quick glance at him, frowning this time. "We should go now. They're getting close."

The Youko sighed elegantly, long legs shifting, nearly invisible in motion. "Very well, Kuronue. Take the initiative, would you? I'll join you in a moment.

Kuronue growled excitedly, crouching low to begin his silent, jumping path to their targets. "Sure." And then he was gone, an invisible shape in the darkness.

Youko Kurama smirked, rising and preparing to take his own part in the game.

_(BREAK)_

It is the way of demons to lift a few special characters onto their shoulders; through all the hatred, the enmity and the fear directed at these great ones, they are solicited and canonized to a point that is far beyond worship. Worship means that there is respect involved; great demons gain followers through force and intimidation, and these bonds hold longer than the ones of respect.

There have been many great demons throughout the history of the makai; thieves, warriors, reikai tantei killers, prophets and smiths...and yet it always seems to be the lowest ones, the honorless ones, that garner the most attention. Namely, the thieves. Why is this? Were you to ask a demon, it is doubtful that you would get an answer.

These great thieves won prizes, followers, enemies and the eternal hatred of the reikai. They won recognition, fame, rivals and companions...and more than anything, they won a free life. Many of these thieves, through many different memories, came and went, bobbing in and out of history and imagination.

But it is without doubt that Youko Kurama was the greatest thief ever.

Second only to him was his partner...so it was safe to say that the caravan never had a chance.

Kuronue was among them in the seconds, scythe blade swinging back and forth, silencing many before the screams even began. In the shouting, the stamping, the frightened rush of creatures as they tried to pinpoint their nearly invisible attacker, Kuronue slipped in, bringing a quick silver end to anyone standing close by. It was better than these heathen, low class demons deserved anyway, as far as the Youko was concerned. He slipped in unnoticed, and stood by in the darkness of a cart's shadow to wait for his turn.

Through long years of experience, Kuronue now knew to leave a dozen or so opponents for his companion, picking off stragglers and attempted escapees to waste time. Kurama did not love killing (that was what Kuronue was for), but he certainly found it fun, and so Kuronue always left some youkai for him to deal with. Nothing was left undone; he was a master at cleaning up loose ends, after working with the Youko for over four centuries; they stole together with more fluidity and grace than most youkai could understand. The cargo was left undamaged under his careful watch.

Then the Youko came.

Kurama decided to appear standing atop another cart that had been abandoned in the center of the clearing, a glowing white figure in the moonlight. At first he was not seen, and when finally his presence was noticed, it was like a spell had been cast over the fighters. All action stilled as, one by one, the doomed members of the caravan looked up and caught sight of his god-like figure. There was no speech for a long time, only entranced stares and awed, quiet silence. Kuronue smirked at his companion, well aware of the fact that the fox was enjoying every second of the attention.

"It's the Youko..." one demon finally whispered, and his horrified proclamation broke the trance that seemed to have captivated his fellows. The screaming began again, and a great rush as the beings left alive began to run, abandoning all pride and duty to escape.

With an amused smirk, the Youko raised his hands, lazily, and long vines shot from the ground, ensnaring each demon individually, wrapping them in their tendrils and slowly tightening. This was the way of Kurama, who did not like getting blood on his hands. Many were killed swiftly, but some were gagged with more vines and suffocated at a slower pace.

One of the bound dozen, a pretty young ice demon, railed furiously against his bonds in spite of his obviously helpless state, too stubborn to die slowly. This boy successfully bit through his gag, but could escape from nothing else. He was so caught up in his attempt that he did not notice the silence for several seconds, until finally he realized that he was the only one left alive. It was during his horrified silence, while he stared around, that he felt long arms wrap around him from behind.

"Now you," purred the low, sensual voice of the youko, "are a _very_ interesting demon." One of Youko's hands rose, stroking slowly, almost lovingly down the young demon's throat as his head was yanked back by a vine. "Such a shame..." One of those gentle fingers pressed firmly at the soft pad beneath the demon's chin, planting a seed there. "But you guard something I want...and I will always get what I wish for."

Tears began to run down the young demon's face as he felt the first seedlings sprouting through his flesh into his mouth. "Please..." he managed brokenly before his mouth was too full of leaves to speak.

Youko smirked, stepping back from the young demon who was still suspended in midair by vines. "How pathetic," he chuckled fondly as verdant tendrils burst from the now dead creatures eyes, sending small droplets of crimson in a delicate sort of shower to the dusty road below. He had been unnecessarily kind to this one, killing him quickly, when he could have dragged it out for so much longer...

His neck prickled slightly as he realized that someone was staring at him, and turning, he lifted his eyebrows toward his companion, who was watching him with a smirk. "Yes?" he asked pleasantly.

Kuronue shook his head, violet eyes narrowed slightly in amused curiosity. "You like killing them that way, don't you?"

Youko smiled. "Sometimes. It is more fun than simply strangling them, Kuronue. Tell me, with this much power, this much experience, why should I not enjoy my kills on occasion? Each encounter should be a celebration of some kind of possible sensation, as far as I am concerned. If I am chased, if I must run, why shouldn't I run as fast as I can, just to feel what I can have? If I come to capture a handsome demon, take some creature that I am about to kill, why should I not enjoy them to whatever extent I wish, so that I may feel all possibilities? Or do you think that too cruel?"

Kuronue chuckled, lowering his head. He had heard this speech many times before, but graciously, he had always listened. "I only think that it is probably why I've never let you have me," he answered.

Youko smirked, golden eyes flashing. "You have sense. It makes the game more fun."

Kuronue shrugged, going towards the cart that contained their targeted prize, apparently not deeming such words worthy of a response...or perhaps nervous to answer them, and the suggestion they held. "We should take our catch now," he said calmly, pulling the cloth from the cart top and sorting through the many boxes held within until finally he came upon a pretty, well made one. Opening it, he drew out a set of small, finely crafted silver scales, images of harvests and leaping kitsune engraved onto the surface of each scale bed, with tiny rubies for the eyes of the magical creatures. "This is what you wanted?"

The Youko nodded, stepping forward and taking his prize. Kuronue almost never went into a theft for any of the treasure, but instead for the thrill of the chase. He did not like furnishing his home, so usually the finery was claimed by the Youko, who loved collecting treasures and scrolls with which to adorn his den.

The two companions departed then, leaving in their wake a very silent, empty road and caravan. Silhouetted in the moonlight were the dead bodies on the ground, and the disturbing sight of the dozen demons still caught by Kurama's plants, hanging in midair, gruesome visions to all who would come to pass by the following day.

_(BREAK)_

"...and still has yet to be caught. The thief Youko, easily comparable to the greatest of demons, has evaded capture time and again, and has marked himself as one of the fastest rising legends in makai history." A low snort followed this. "They make me sound like some kind of rival to Enma. Who wrote this, I wonder?"

Kuronue rolled his eyes. "Who cares? I can't believe you were vain enough to actually buy a book to read about _yourself_."

"Buy?" repeated the other demon in an offended tone, lowering the book and glaring at his friend. "What an ugly word, Kuronue. I stole it last night for entertainment. Besides, the book means nothing; my greatness needs no words or explanation, it simply is."

Kuronue sighed. "It's not your greatness that needs recording," he muttered, "it's your vanity. Surely you've surpassed some kind of self-indulgence record by now."

"Nonsense," Youko muttered absently, returning to the page he had been reading from. He continued in silence for several seconds, then cast a fond glance up at his newest decoration, the silver scales they had stolen two days earlier.

It was a relatively small addition to his den, which was an unbeatably perfect picture of grand simplicity. Accessed through a well-concealed hole in the ground, the entrance hall was guarded by some of his favorite plants, such as the mimosa and the desu tree. Stepping past those dangers, one entered a quite unimpressive passage. Going through a likewise unadorned set of doors, one would suddenly find themselves in his display hall, where all of his wall-hanging finery was displayed, and where on knee-high shelves that ran along both walls he showcased his shelf-worthy items. Growing liberally through all of this finery were seemingly harmless vines covered in light purple leaves and brilliant red flowers, which, when presented with wandering fingers, would spit a nasty stream of acid at the thief.

At the end of this hallway hung a curtain of thin, pale green vines with constantly budding and blooming white flowers, which shielded the final room in his den from view. Passing through these would lead to his real feat of architectural genius. This room had been nothing but an underground cavern, a deep pit several hundred feet in expanse that was so deep that the bottom was lost in darkness. He had placed many tall wooden pillars at intervals in the pit, seemingly floating in nothing, and had cut them flat at ground level to serve as stepping stones, so visitors could hop from perch to perch around the room.

In the center of all of this he had grown a massive, perpetually flowering cherry tree, strangely out of place and ethereally beautiful in the darkness of the room. The tree, easily sixty feet around the bole, had had half of it's trunk removed down to ground level, so a thirty foot half-circle pedestal was left as a meeting place, where he could lounge easily when he felt the desire. This dais was on level with the steps, so it was easy enough to reach.

Also carved into the remaining tree trunk that made up the wall of the pedestal was a large bowl-like seat, strewn with scarves and precious cloths of brightly embroidered and dyed material, stolen during raids and added to the impromptu throne over the Youko's many centuries of life. He now had quite the comfortable lounging spot, and while it was no high-backed king's chair, it had all the elegance and class of the most tasteful piece of furniture. The blending of nature and simple knife cuts made it a beautifully simple, incredible living space; the most fitting den for Youko Kurama. All of his favorite items were placed around this particular chamber, on small tables that he had grown on the pedestal or scattered elsewhere, so he could look at them when he wished. His sleeping place was in his chair, but he had an extra bed, a collection of soft furs that had been thrown into a shallow dip in the wooden dais.

The Youko was currently lazing in his throne, the book of famous demons clutched idly in one of his elegant hands. Kuronue was leaning against one of the small tables on the dais, sharpening his curved blade with a whetstone he had been carrying in a pouch attached to his sash. The bat demon often came to Kurama's den, in part because it was one of the safest places for him to stay (excepting the youko, of course, who could be unpredictable and dangerous at times), and in part because of the lighting. The Youko did not like a great deal of light, so only a few sconces glowed around the room, giving it a dimly lit look. Much was still hidden in shadows, to Kuronue's definite liking.

"Where should we hunt next, do you think?" Kuronue asked finally as he replaced the whetstone in his pouch, apparently satisfied with the edge of his blade.

Kurama shrugged, tossing the book onto the ground and reaching out to touch the scales fondly. He had liked them so much that he had made a small, flat shelf just above the right arm of his chair, and had placed them there to gaze at. They were definitely one of his favorite items.

"I don't know," he sighed, feeling a touch of boredom worming it's way up his spine. He hated finishing thefts, if only because there seemed to be nothing to do afterwards. Of course, he knew that something would come along soon enough, but it was still annoyingly dull in the meantime. If he could only get Kuronue to sleep with him, it might be a little more entertaining, but the bat demon wasn't ready to lose the game yet, and Kurama didn't feel like forcing him. It would ruin the point of the game entirely. Besides, he would lose a good ally, and he didn't really feel like doing that either.

Lazily he shifted his long body, turning until he was stretched upside down in the chair, head hanging over the edge, hair dragging silkily along the ground, feet crossed where his head should have been. The chair was pitched at such an angle that this position was just as comfortable as any other, and sometimes it helped him to think.

"Well, we could go to the town and see if there's anything new," Kuronue suggested, stretching his wings out with a yawn. Right now they were in their small form to save space, and so were not nearly as impressive as usual.

The Youko sighed again, reaching out and taking the book up again in his powerful white hands, flipping back to the page and reading upside down.

Kuronue glanced absently at him, eyebrows at half-mast. "That can't be good for your head, Youko."

Kurama smirked, turning to the next page of text. "On the contrary," he stated mildly. "It _helps_ me think sometimes. I-- what!"

The bat demon stopped at the anger in his voice, turning to stare at the Youko, who had risen up suddenly, ears twitching as he glared at the book. "What is it?"

A growl escaped the Youko's lips. "They say here that I'm only five centuries old!" The most deadly of glares lit his eyes. "I have worked harder than any other demon to get to where I am - still standing at well over a millennia!"

Kuronue began to laugh at his partner, shaking his head so that his thick black ponytail of hair swayed in the air. "How do you expect them to know how old you really are, Youko?"

Kurama ignored him, throwing the book up at the ceiling in his anger, where it was snatched instantly by a vine and carried up into one of the many nests above. These upside-down gardens were invisible in the darkness of the cave ceiling, but nevertheless were full of a deadly assortment of plants, each ready to defend the youko to the last if called upon. This helpful plant seemed to be enjoying its meal of the book.

The glare persisted in the Youko's eyes as he glowered up at the shadows above. "No doubt you'll enjoy that more than I did," huffed Kurama as tiny shreds of paper drifted down to fall into the darkness surrounding them.

Kuronue was still chuckling, shaking his head as he stood. "You get too upset," he chided, "It's only a book. Low grade demon trash can't be expected to write you in perfection." A smirk lit his face. "It's impossible, isn't it?"

The Youko's anger was quickly forgotten at this subtle compliment. "Well, of course," he decided instantly, "Perfection is impossible to capture." He glanced over at Kuronue, then smiled, turning around in his chair so he was once again seated normally. "Come here." He beckoned to the bat demon elegantly, bringing one of his knees up to his chest.

Kuronue obeyed placidly, apparently unconcerned by this sudden mood shift. "We really should go to Younetai tomorrow evening," he reaffirmed as he stopped before the Youko. "We can usually glean information about the incoming caravans, and if there's nothing interesting there, we could travel--"

But Kurama was staring at Kuronue's hat, obviously far more intrigued by that than by what the bat demon was saying. Kuronue noticed this and stopped, raising his eyebrows questioningly. The Youko reached out one precise hand, taking hold of the brim of the hat, rubbing slightly to feel the texture of the torn edges, but not removing the ensemble without further permission. It was far more fun to try and convince him to indicate a yes.

"Interested?" Kuronue asked.

Kurama smirked. "Very." As of this point, he hadn't managed to make Kuronue take the black item off. With any other demon he would have simply gone ahead and done what he pleased, but Kuronue was different- he was not only an ally and a partner, but a game. Playing the game was just as much fun as winning it, and it tested his patience.

Kuronue shrugged at this and tilted his head down, surprising the Youko slightly. Seconds later he jumped at this subtle invitation, thrilled by his success. This was yet another feat in a long string, and Kurama felt very proud of himself as he pulled the hat off, hand immediately going to stroke the smooth black hair recently covered by the black material, touching his side locks, his bangs.

"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?" Kurama asked softly, dragging one, two fingers in a whisper of a movement down the side of Kuronue's face, just as quickly transferring the affection back to a side lock, moving swiftly enough so as not to arouse suspicion, but certainly to get the message across. "You waste your beauty."

Kuronue just shook his head slightly, gazing at the youko with a faint smirk. He looked like he was about to reply, but he stopped suddenly, a far away look entering his eyes, his lips parting slightly. Then he smiled anew, looking directly into the golden eyes of the Youko.

"Let me go, Kurama." The silver thief froze in his movement, frowning slightly at being addressed with his real name. He had told it to the bat demon, but that didn't mean he had the license to use it whenever he felt like it. "It's time for me to hunt."

The Youko understood suddenly, the glazed expression making a world more of sense as he pulled his hand away, nodding to his partner. "The sun has gone down?" he asked calmly, folding his hands in his lap. They had just woken an hour before - no doubt the bat demon was hungry.

Kuronue nodded, taking his hat up from where Kurama had dropped it on the floor and bringing it back over his head, pulling his ponytail out of the strap that wrapped around the back to fall free again in a thick black mass. "Yes. I'll return at dawn, and then tomorrow evening we can go into Younetai for a new information."

Kurama nodded, saying nothing, but fixing the bat demon with a level, cool smirk for the whole duration of his journey from the pedestal to the mouth of the hallway, following his weightless leaps until he disappeared through the screen of vines and flowers.

"I will win this game."

And there was no arguing with the Youko when he was determined.

_(BREAK)_

**A/N**: Boy, that chapter was bizarre. -.- If this chapter seems weird to you, or doesn't seem to fit with later ones, it's because it actually started as a one shot, and then sort of mutated later and turned into a full-length fic. I estimate seventeen chapters for this baby, but who knows. Hopefully later chapters will be better, but hell...maybe I'll think that they're better, and you guys will just think that they're weirder.

And, to quickly address what I'm sure some of you have already asked: Why did I choose to focus on Kurama's time with Kuronue, or choose to bother with the second movie at all/grins/ Allow me to explain. Now, I'm pretty sure that I agree with most of the fandom when I say that the second movie was pretty weak (it had some very cool bits, and the art was beyond beautiful, but mostly it was an excuse to have one giant, prettily animated fist-smashin' brawl). It did, however, have Kuronue...

Sometimes I wish that he had been introduced in the series. He seemed like he was a character with some awesome possibilites, and they wasted him by giving him such a tiny role and such a strange entrance. He provides many explanations for the death of Youko; he was well designed, and really, very interesting. Keeping all of this in mind, I decided that he deserved more than he got, which is the second reason for me writing this fic in the first place. This chapter was supposed to be a character study above all other things, another reason that it may seem a little strange. I know, however, that Kuronue's an almost entirely blank character, so I've made up just about everything about him (more character fun! I love making up stuff XD). Just bear with me - I promise that it'll make sense (most of the time).

Oh, and just so you don't get confused, the next chapter will be a flashback. I'll then be switching the chapters, so chapter three will pick up where this one left off, then chapter four will pick up where chapter two left off. Does that make sense? Either way, you're bound to get it about halfway through the story (whether or not you get it now), so just . . . venture on!

Thanks much for reading! You make me a most happy camper.

**FANON/CANON**

1) ""How pathetic," he chuckled fondly as verdant tendrils burst from the now dead creatures eyes." - Youko, as far as I have gathered, was not a very nice demon. I may have him acting a touch too cruel...but then again, maybe not. He was powerful, a thief, and to boot, honorless (Kurama says this in his own words when he is training Kuwabara for the Ankoku Bujutsukai (Dark Tournament)). With all of this in mind, I think that, yes...he wasn't too far off from being like Karasu. Some of you have probably shaken your heads already and gone, "No!" but really think about it (those of you who've seen the Sensui Arc); he was willing to sacrifice a child, and even psych out that child to make him easier to kill, and then he got angry for regretting the choice, because it was something that Youko never would have regretted. That indicates a somewhat Karasu-ish type of person (though Karasu was more of the wantonly cruel type, whereas I think Youko was cruel so long as he had some kind of excuse, however stupid or fickle).

One of the things that I really want to show with the whole of this story is the difference between Kurama as Youko and Kurama as a human; I think that he probably had a very huge (and somewhat upsetting) revelation through growing up with a human sort of heart, and for every demon aspect that he retained, he lost another one to humanity. I also think that this would explain some of his violent dislike of Karasu: Seeing a bit of what you once were in someone else, and not _liking_ it, can be very frustrating. I also think that this evolution is one of the most fascinating things about Kurama- and about Hiei, for that matter. More fascinating, even, in the case of Hiei, because he does all of his human-type growth as a demon, with a demon heart. Very impressive.

2) The den is mine. No stealing.

3) Quick note about the musical quotes: _Please read them!_ I worked for a very, very long time (like, five hours at least) searching through my plethora of music for each one (you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a quote from a love song without the word 'love' in it!), so I want people to at least peruse them! ;.; Pretty please?


	2. Chapter Two: The Game Begins

**A/N**: For those who missed the note in the last chapter, this is a flashback to four hundred years earlier. Prepare to be surprised. :P

-

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

-

_Let me please introduce myself: I'm a man of wealth and taste.  
I lay traps for troubadours who get killed before they reach Bombay.  
Pleased to meet you- hope you guessed my name.  
Ah, but what's puzzling you is the nature of my game..._

_- **"Sympathy for the Devil,"** The Rolling Stones_

-

Chapter Two: The Game Begins

-

Youko did not like being cheated out of his prizes.

As a matter of simple fact, he hated being cheated out of anything. It was simply a part of his nature; he wanted something, thus, it was his. Other demons could either accept this or not.

The only known way to keep him from leading a mass homicide (and throwing a minor therapeutic fit) when something of his had been taken was, in fact, to present a distraction- provided that it was with something _interesting_. He liked unknown things, and he especially liked beautiful, intelligent unknown things; in other words, people.

So, this particular night, in retrospect, was considerably unique: Something was taken from him very quickly, and just as quickly, it seemed, he was given something extremely new and interesting. Because of this, everything turned out quite well, and the only homicides were inconsequential; so, entirely unimportant.

But Kurama didn't know this yet. There were four things on his mind as he left his den that evening: One: the whereabouts of his target (a textile caravan fresh from the far east of the makai) and the precise time for attack, which was directly after sunset. Two: the vague understanding that he really needed to feed his plants again - the mimosa had begun to burn holes in the walls in their impatience for prey. Three: the strong sense that it was well past time for him to pray to Inari again, as well as the equally strong sense that he didn't really feel like it -he was sure the fox God would understand-.

And finally, four: the pressing fact that he needed to find some bait that would enable him to steal a seed from a stand of nearby desu trees, and allow him to do so _unnoticed_. They were one of seven plants in the entirety of the makai that were strong enough to have minds of their own, and so it was impossible for him to control one unless he raised it from a seedling. This did not bother him particularly, but he was having trouble finding the necessary bait; he needed some kind of a creature or food that would distract the mouths long enough to allow the theft.

This was an entirely accurate list of all that ran through Kurama's mind, and as he trotted through the crisp evening air and vibrant, lush surroundings of his territory, he was entirely unconcerned about his next catch. The caravan, so he understood, was only large enough to be entertaining, and so would prove no challenge at all.

The youko, unfortunately, did not find many challenging opportunities for theft close to home. He had grown used to traveling for his larger escapades many decades earlier, and could go through whole districts of the makai civilization quite happily and easily, with little to no worry at all for his lands. The reason for this was simple; his territory was not a large one, and his hold on it was so absolute that, as far as most demons were concerned, it was a hole on the map. One just didn't go there if they wanted to survive. His plants quickly disposed of those characters that did decide to try and take over while he was gone.

They were quickly disposed of anyway, though. Kurama depended on the foolishness of those particular youkai to keep his larger plants happily fed, and the number of young demons willing to take the risk never failed to amuse him. His plants didn't need the food, as they drew entirely from the energy he provided them with, but it kept them happy and content, and as a result they obeyed him much more willingly than plants beyond his marked stretch of woods.

Normally Kurama didn't like spoiling any kind of affiliates in his crimes (he would have directed skeptical demons to ask one of his former partners for confirmation of this, but they were all dead, so he didn't see much point), but his plants were the exception; they were the only beings he had ever had any affection or -dare he say- maternal feelings for, and so, he decided, needed some coddling. Plants in much more distant locations were treated with much colder demands- but still, he was kinder to growing things that he was to most demons. As far as he was concerned, they had more right to the makai than the demons did, as they had undoubtedly come first.

But those were only his musings, and they were irrelevant to the current situation. Kurama's destination at the moment was a ledge a short distance from the road the caravan was traveling, from which he should be able to watch the progress of his target unseen. He reached the ledge with ample time to sunset, and settled down comfortably to tough it out till the fun arrived.

Youko sighed; he hated waiting, too.

-

The wait was short lived. The sun had barely slid halfway down when they came into sight, a long, thin stream of weak youkai and a few vaguely more powerful guards. Carts and other transporters of goods were pulled by either horse youkai or other mentally slow, bestial demons. Also joining them occasionally on the line of labor were members of the caravan (there were always inevitably a few who could not keep their hands from the cargo), whose punishment for whatever their various crimes had been was made very clear by their current state.

It would be ridiculously easy to strangle the whole lot in seconds; Kurama would not have wasted the time with such an easy target, but they were carrying something that he not only wanted, for once, but _needed_. So the youko, thinking that perhaps the best tactic would be a good game of cat and mouse, who-could-last-the-longest, took his time sneaking down to the road, climbing silently into a tree at the head of the party and watching as each demon went by, judging lazily where to start.

It was a quiet moment; the air seemed almost heavy and perfumed, and colored with the rich, darkening oranges, golds and reds of the sky, occasionally shot through with violets, blues and pinks, the dusk time colors in Kurama's portion of the makai. The greens and blacks of the daytime heavens were nowhere to be seen, and of course, nighttime, no matter what world you lived in, was always dark. The dirt from the road, stirred by the hundred or so tramping feet and rolling wooden wheels, seemed to make the air almost hazy, almost dusty...and yet at the same time quite clear.

The upper edge of the sun was still showing, and he found himself reflecting almost inanely on it. He immediately reprimanded himself for being empty-headed about anything, and proceeded to observe something else. The air was at a very pleasant blood temperature, and he sensed that it had dropped all that it would for the rest of the night. He had chosen an autumn climate on purpose, as he preferred being a little too hot infinitely to being cold. Staring at the caravan for another few moments, he finally decided that he had wasted enough time, and began looking seriously for a good target.

A sudden scream set him jumping in surprise, staring automatically towards the back of the caravan for the source of the noise. His large, sensitive ears were as good, if not better, than any other youko's, and he immediately knew what direction the disturbance had come from. Its sudden entrance into his train of thought left him caught somewhere between irritation and curiosity.

There was a black streak diving into the very rear of the caravan, carving its way through every demon it stepped near, a smaller silver line of light dancing around it and parting the way. The offered resistance of armor, skin and muscle seemed to melt under its influence; blood following it in slow liquid eddies of color, made rich by the dying light. The dust rose higher in the air as creatures rushed, youki flared and demons died. It was a morbidly beautiful sight, all the more so as it seemed to happen almost invisibly, magically.

The youko watched all of this unfolding, and the beauty was lost to his perplexed eyes. His mood was quickly swinging in favor of the irritation as it occurred to him that this..._whatever_ it was...was stealing his prey: very soon there would be nothing left, and all his fun would be spoiled. He felt a brief, immature stab of great dislike for the black streak, determined that he was being immature and quickly stopped, and for a few moments entertained the idea of just killing it and taking what was, as far he was concerned, rightfully _his_.

But something held him back, something that was intensely curious as to the nature of this creature. Very few demons could decimate such a large party in such a short of amount of time, and while Kurama was not entirely impressed (very little impressed him), he certainly was intrigued. He could wait to kill it, and maybe, in the end, it would turn out to be more fun than the caravan; after all, it would have to be at least a little more challenging, considering the quick work it was making. This could be a good twist after all.

It took about four minutes for the creature to wipe out everything living on the stretch of road, and at first it did not stop moving, even after its job was finished. It continued to streak around, making quite certain that it had gotten everything- the mark of a good fighter. Young, inexperienced demons almost always cut off their attack too soon, and were killed by a straggler as soon as they stood still. This one made very sure that he was alone on the ground before stopping.

Kurama was unable to stop his lips parting, or the soft, almost unconscious sigh of appreciation that escaped him when he finally got a look at his competition. His irritation was gone, his natural appreciation of beautiful things returning with a great weight in his chest.

"A bat demon..." The opposition was a _bat_ demon.

Bat demons, while not really extinct (many demons thought that they were actually thriving in the shadows), were rare and shocking things to see, considering their reclusive, private tendencies and general dislike of daylight. They could stand it and function in it of course, but they naturally preferred darkness. Not only that, but they preferred tropical climates too, and Kurama lived in a more temperate region. They also tended not to gravitate towards what appeared to be thievery as a profession. Kurama was very, very fond of them- not because they were particularly beautiful or powerful, but because they were rare: anything rare was a treasure.

There was another point in this creature's favor besides his rare status, though: not only was he a bat demon, but he was a very _handsome_ bat demon. Most were too small and too thin, and while Kurama enjoyed them for their rarity, he could not bring himself to appreciate them physically. He had to have found one of an older variety, from one of the colonies that lived hidden deep in the jungles of the east...

This specimen was tall and leanly muscular, with unnaturally small wings growing from his back. He could not quite claim hold to Kurama's seven-foot stature, but he could certainly take a generous six-feet and eight inches. His build was graceful and powerful; very lithe and curved...though something about the way he carried himself told that he was still young: maybe no more than two centuries, even.

His hair was a thick collection of perfectly straight black strands, the entire amount gathered up into a ponytail high on the back of his head, with two heavy side locks hanging before his ears. Despite its suspended fashion, the ends of his hair still trailed to his waist: the side locks were trimmed, falling no lower than his chest. Around his head, the brim covering his forehead, were the remains of a black hat; this hat was held together mainly through the efforts of a black cord, which kept it from falling off his head, and also from falling apart.

Kurama unexplainably liked his skin before any other piece of him; whereas his own complexion was simply pale, this being was almost white, in stark contrast to his hair and black clothing. This clothing consisted of a sleeveless black vest (nearly too small) that was held together by flat cloth ties instead of strings, and then only a few other simple items; black breeches, black shoes, a black belt with a tarnished gold clip, and a white wrap covering his hips and the backs of his thighs. The bat demon finished the outfit with curious black straps that wrapped uselessly around either of his white arms from biceps to wrist, leaving many wide, open triangles and slices of skin.

His face was long, the skin there almost porcelain in appearance. His head was lowered as he paced around (checking bodies to make sure they were dead), but the fox could see that his cheekbones were high and proud, his nose somewhat distinguished and his eyebrows arched nobly. Again, though, something about his face told of a lingering youth. There was no way that this demon was past his first four centuries yet, which, when compared to Kurama's years, made him barely older than a child.

Kurama took note directly after the bat demon's appearance of the weapon he carried, an oddly crafted silver scythe on a thin, flexible cord of silver, and he was intrigued again; this was a difficult weapon to wield, especially with as much skill as the creature displayed. He was still not impressed, but he was more interested that ever.

Finally, his eyes were drawn to the one piece of jewelry the creature had; a beautifully elegant red gem, tear shaped and backed in gold, and hung on a delicate gold chain. It was a very simple necklace. To the youko's annoyance, the bat demon did not have it around his neck, but instead twined on his wrist, the gem swinging gently back and forth with its modest weight.

This went entirely against the thief; jewelry was meant to be worn or displayed, not swung around for fun, and the other demon made no move at all to place it around his neck when he stilled in his search -another shame, as he had a beautiful white neck, long and graceful-.

It was this that prompted Kurama to speak in the end. He might have simply killed the demon, or just taken his desired items from the caravan and gone home; but this necklace and its relation to the bat youkai made up his mind without any kind of contestation. He wanted to know more about this creature.

He stood then, walking down the length of the branch he'd previously rested on and dropping down to one some feet lower. There he sat once more, lifting a knee to his chest and settling so that he could be seen on his perch. That finished, he called out to the intruder; "I hope you are aware that you've robbed me of my prey, bat youkai." He kept his tone neutral, with only the lightest hint of dangerous humor hidden beneath.

The black-clad demon jumped, turning to the youko instantly. Kurama absently noted that his reflexes were good. Now that the other youkai was staring directly at him, Kurama noted with some interest that his eyes were a piercing violet, shining up out of his face with a startling intensity. The black he wore did no job of hiding the concentration of the color; in fact, it only enhanced it, as did his milky white skin.

A moment of staring ensued, with both refusing to look away from the other. Kurama watched in amusement as an amazing collection of worries ran across the other youkai's face, plain to see for several seconds before they were quickly buried away. The bat demon straightened his back a small amount then, frowning to hide his concern. "You're the Youko." His voice was surprisingly pleasant and strong for one who had looked so uncertain; not a deep voice, like demons often had, but smoothly mid toned and educated. Kurama could always tell by listening to a creature's voice whether it had been given access to books and learning, and this one had.

To Kurama's annoyance, however, after the initial shock of his appearance wore off, the other youkai no longer continued to look nervous or frightened. His expression instead became confident and thoughtful, his stiff shoulder relaxing somewhat. This was not something Kurama was accustomed to, and it frustrated him.

"I am," he called regally, hoping that the confirmation would get some of the awe he was used to.

Instead he got nothing, only a slight inclination of the demon's head and a more relaxed posture than ever. "Well, Youko...sir..." This was added almost as an afterthought, and Kurama drew in a sharp breath of air at the words, eyes blazing in offense; how dare the fool even think of using his name so lightly? "You have to understand- I don't want any of this cargo." This got Kurama's full attention perfectly. "I only came here to kill these men," he continued, "I have no intention of taking your things."

The other bowed slightly then, inclining his head a second time as he backed a few steps away. "Consider it an inadvertent favor, or a happy coincidence," he concluded lightly, backing farther from Kurama. "I'll take my leave now, of course..."

Why, that conniving- "You will _hold_," the youko told him sternly, feeling a little better when the other immediately flinched and froze in his steps. Slightly comforted, Kurama relaxed and considered the bat demon's words for a moment, perplexed. He didn't know quite what to do, truthfully. The bat had indeed done him a favor by all definitions, but he hadn't really _wanted_ the favor...

Quite suddenly, a wonderful idea came to him, and he reveled in his genius for a few delightful seconds before allowing an evil smirk to grow on his face. "That's good, of course," came his sadistic purr, "But I said you had robbed me of prey, not prizes. I don't consider your actions a favor. So, how will you pay me back for the demons I planned on killing?"

This finally seemed to have some of the desired effect on the bat demon. There was still no fear, but he certainly lost his smirk. "I...but..." He hesitated, taking a small step back as a frown grew on his face.

Kurama almost grinned, his humor and playfulness returning in full. _This_ was how others were supposed to act in his presence.

"Don't worry, though," he called down, standing up in a perfectly careless way that belied his tensed form, hiding his preparation to leap from the tree. This was going to be so much _fun_- "I take compensation in all forms!"

The bat demon moved at the same time as the fox, leaping to defend himself as his opponent streaked down the trunk of the tree, across the shadowed dirt of the road towards him. He moved with all the beauty and practice of a powerful, experienced thief, and it was as easy as breathing to overtake the black-clad youkai. In the case of the bat demon, he unfortunately failed to realize in time that Kurama's target was not in fact his body, and he had no chance to correct his defenses before his hand was empty.

It took the youkai several full seconds to realize that Kurama had stolen his necklace, and he was not brought back out of his stupor until Kurama began laughing, a triumphantly warm laugh that showed what a great deal of fun he was having. Turning, the black youkai found him already bounding away for the forest on the opposite side of the road, the delicate red-gemmed necklace swinging from the long fingers of his right hand as his feet hit the ground silently, propelling him effortlessly towards the trees as he continued to cackle.

"You bastard!" yelled the bat demon in disbelief, diving right after the silver fox, "Give that back!"

Nothing could have stopped them then; all focus shifted from the real world to one another, and their frantic hurdle through the dense trees. Both were running close to their limits, dodging, jumping, bounding and rebounding off of trees for momentum and direction change, gracefully avoiding each and every obstacle; pits were nothing; roots were simple games; trees were like inconsequential toothpicks surrounding their feet. All that mattered was running away, and catching the thief. On a less frenzied journey, the forest would have been beautiful. Now, it passed by unnoticed.

Nearly five minutes of this ensued; the darkness of early night finally fell, and the forest began to thin around them slowly. The thick wooden trunks were disappearing, instead replaced now with lower brush and stands of grass. It was still very difficult to navigate, for there were still many trees, but it was obvious that they were growing close to a clearing of some kind. The air smelled fresh and surprisingly clean for the makai, but like everything else, it was forgotten and wasted on the two runners.

Kurama couldn't stop laughing. It wasted his breath, but he just couldn't stop: this was so much more _fun_ that he had expected - why hadn't he ever tried something like this before? It was an incredible rush. How many other opportunities for a race, for a hunt of this nature, had he passed up in earlier centuries? It was exhilarating, diving away from one who could almost match him in speed. It was wonderful. Another laugh bubbled to his lips as he jumped smoothly to his next foothold; seeming to fall, to rise, then to dive on with new strength and poise.

"Bring it back!" came the cry from behind him, only part of a constant stream of curses and pleas that had come from his pursuer. "You youko bastard, give that back to me!"

The trees began to thin more rapidly; then, suddenly, the forest was gone, and they were left running through a vast field of waist high grass, heading towards another stand of trees on the opposite side. The grass was rustling quietly in the faint breeze, shining a delicate green-blue in the silver light of the makai moon, which was just appearing on the horizon. The sun had set almost twenty minutes before, and the moon promised to be marvelous, sickle shaped and breath taking. Both runners were suddenly quiet; even though they were still as focused as ever, the serenity of the field seemed to have permeated their thoughts unconsciously.

The bat demon was starting to feel a little worn around the lungs; he was a good runner, a fast runner, but he just wasn't used to matching speeds with someone as swift as a youko. He was unsure of where he was, even, and his nervousness showed in the lines of his eyes; the faint creases of his mouth and eyebrows. He chanced a swift peek over his shoulder, then swung his head back around.

He stopped instantly, now somewhere in the middle of the field. His halt was very sudden, but perfectly justified; in the few seconds he had spent looking over his shoulder, Kurama had vanished, apparently dropping down into the grass and drifting away... or perhaps hiding out for a silent attack. There was no telling, no guessing at all. Frustrated, he began to run quickly towards the trees on the opposite side of the grass field, stopping just beneath one on the very edge of the tree line and pausing to look around again. All was very quiet save for the occasional moan of the wind and sigh from the grass; it would have been soothing, had the moment not been so tense.

Up in the tree, only a few branches above the bat demon, Kurama looked down and considered his options. He found it extremely amusing that he had now managed to hide from the black-clad youkai twice in the branches of a tree, but he knew better than to laugh aloud when he was currently in such a perfect position. Below him, the other demon began to curse softly, whispering a vehement _chikusho_ to what he thought was an empty field.

What an intriguing creature. This bat demon was fascinating - a real curiosity, in fact. He was enigmatic (truthfully, Kurama knew very little about bat demons); shockingly bold... and above anything else, he had dared to call Kurama a bastard. The fox wanted this game to last much longer than it had so far; after all, it was rare to find one so amusing as his life wore on, andhe couldn't really pass up such an amusing opportunity... A smirk lit the thief's face: time to play his next move.

Swinging down when the youkai was turned away towards the field, he hung easily by his feet, holding either end of the necklace between the thumb and forefinger of his hands. Close enough behind the bat demon to bite his ear, he lifted the red gem over the other's head and held the necklace out before the darkly clothed demon, who froze instantly in surprise. Before he could gain his wits back, Kurama brought it gently around his neck and slid the catch shut, smiling and leaning forward as he did.

"You should wear a necklace this beautiful," he purred into the demon's ear. His hands dropped almost weightlessly to those white shoulders, rubbing gently at the smooth skin. He was only wearing a small black vest, after all, so his arms were readily accessible. "You ignore its true calling. It's a terrible shame to waste such a neck..." His lips illustrated his words, kissing the sensitive patch of skin directly behind the bat demon's ear, teasing it and his throat with a wispy touch that sent a shiver feathering down the spine of the dark creature. Pleased by the small, involuntary action, Kurama smirked and did not stop

The moment was short lived, however. Jolted from his surprise by the youko's forward movement, the bat demon spun suddenly with a violent hiss. "_Yaro_!" His fist was aimed for Kurama, but the fox simply dodged it and dropped liquidly to the ground, scurrying around in front of the youkai and standing up straight.

Both stared at one another for several long seconds, one face very amused, the other decidedly the opposite. The wind disturbed the grass again, and the silence pounded into a noise of its own as the moon rose slowly.

"I like you," Kurama decided finally aloud, his expression jovial, pleased. He looked as though some kind of treat had been handed to him suddenly, and in a way, it had. His marvelous idea of stealing the necklace was evolving, and now, he found he had something that was useful for so much more than a run through the woods.

The bat demon blinked, starting to draw back in confused caution. He had not moved more than an inch before Kurama took charge of the situation again. Vines -thin green creepers that would have seemed to fragile, had they not been gripping so tightly- wrapped themselves around his shoulders, his small black wings and his powerful torso, then around his wrists and hips and elbows, and finally, his ankles and knees. His scythe blade dropped to the ground seconds before he did.

"You are always just a second too late to escape, aren't you?" Kurama asked pleasantly, crouching down to smile into the bat demons face. "It doesn't really matter, though. I like you-" This was a reiteration. "-I think I'll keep you for a while." This was not.

The bat demon cried out in pained frustration, gasping and writhing around in a desperate bid for freedom. When he realized that he was only amusing the youko further by doing this, he gave up the attempt and remained on his back, glaring up at the pale thief loathingly. The anger in the expression was almost a palpable thing.

Kurama took no notice of the promised death in those eyes. "What is your name?" he asked easily, settling comfortably onto his haunches so that he could continue to stare at his victim in close proximity.

"...Kuronue." It seemed that he had been almost hesitant to answer, and when he did, he spoke in a low, poisonous tone that earned a lifted eyebrow from Kurama.

Leaning down close to Kuronue's face, he stared directly into the intense violet eyes of the other: now that he was closer, he could see that they were flecked with black. "Well, Kuronue," he whispered topically, "I strongly advise that you learn some humility..._soon_."

Kuronue only blinked at him in shocked anger, as though he couldn't believe the thief would issue such a demand. Kurama, who did not want to have to sustain any further insult to his person, mercifully decided to knock the bat demon unconscious. He did so swiftly, and within a few seconds, Kuronue's head dropped back onto the ground, muscles limp and relaxed.

This event was perfect. It was better than anything he could have possibly foreseen or even wished for, better than even what he had begun to hope for. Here was a game; here was an opportunity; here was something almost as perfect as he was.

And finally, the youko was impressed.

-

**A/N**: All right, so, that's chapter two down! Do you all love me? Are you happy? Be happy, damnit/glares insecurely, then begins to cry/ I work so hard on these things . . .

Just ignore me - I'm being weird again. O.o It happens sometimes. It usually means I'm really happy.

I sincerely hope that you all read the last two author's notes (at the end of chapter one and the beginning of this chapter), because I'll bet you were pretty confused it you didn't:P I know that chapter one sucked, but I bite at writing introductions. I've actually just realized that, really, I'm writing this story without any information. I've seen the movie once, and I've only seen the series up to the end of the Sensui Arc (mostly dubbed). That means that I've missed anything that has to do with Yomi or Youko's past, so that's grey area for me. Because of this, I'm drawing a line - anything that happens after the Sensui Arc, I don't care about, whether it's canon or not. This fic will be written entirely from what is learned from the beginning of the series to the end of aforementioned Arc. Okey dokey:)

**FANON/CANON**

1) "The opposition was a _bat_ demon." - Some people say that Kuronue is a chimera, others say bat. I'm a bat person m'self. Also, I'm unsure as to the whole necklace thing - in the movie (which I unfortunately only got to see once), Kuronue is shown wearing the necklace during his death scene, but all the rest of the while he carries it around in his hand. I think that after partnering up with the Youko, he starts wearing it around his neck for thieveries, and then takes it off again afterwards.

2) We humble fans have never been told whether Kurama actually worships Inari or not, but I figured . . . what the hell, and just carried on with it.

3) "The mimosa had begun to burn holes in the walls in their impatience for prey" - You all remember the mimosa, right/grins/ Those things were sooooooo cool!

4) Do we know if Kurama stays in one den specifically? NO. Do we know if he has to travel for big thefts? NO. Do we know whether he has a sense of humor or not? NOT REALLY. Bear with me. I have to make up some of the character idiosyncrasies, after all. ;)

5) 5) If anybody wants to do a big favor for me . . . could you possibly leave a review saying whether Kuronue's necklace is backed in gold or silver? I've looked at several different pictures, and now I'm unsure . . . Help!


	3. Chapter Three: The Game Gains Temptation

**A/N**: This chapter picks up where chapter one left off.

-

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

-

_Dear egotist boy; you've never really had to suffer any consequence.  
You've never stayed with anyone longer than ten minutes.  
You'd never understand anyone showing resistance._

_- **"Narcissus,"** Alanis Morissette_

-

Chapter Three

-

Younetai was not exactly an impressive show of demon sophistication or society. In fact, it was nearly every hour of the day packed with the lowest-class, roughest, crudest sorts of demons, one of the single greatest hot spots for thievery, bad-bargains, cheap living and the trade of any kind of goods (from living things to fine bright cloth). Those with the tastes and the time flocked to the rough-hewn buildings and bustling, stinking inhabitants. It was a trader's paradise, a fool's kingdom and a pauper's hallway.

So it would seem that each and every one of these flaws would run directly against the youko's refined tastes; but in truth, Kurama had chosen this location for his permanent den precisely _because_ of those flaws.

The reason was that the town was isolated, very large, and _very_ disorganized, as well as the only stopping point for quite a while in that particular area of the makai. Caravans and passing demons _had_ to stop there for rest before they could continue to their final destinations, and so the village was always knowledgeable in the shipping routes and contents of passing trade lines.

The stupidity of the inhabitants only made the deal sweeter - all Kuronue and he had to do was make a quick stop (disguised, of course), fool some low-class idiot into giving away a caravan itinerary, and a few nights later they would have a new target. It was simple, and so much more fun than simply hunting. The mind games made half the pleasure.

Kurama had made a second good move in choosing territory close to the village, something that he had not thought of in the beginning, but which turned out later to be very convenient: His fame easily preceded him, and only a few weeks after he had finally finished his den, demons had come flocking to the village, drawn by rumors painting this district as his new haunt, wanting to see Youko for themselves, wanting to try a hand at stealing his possessions, wanting to simply see if they could find him at all. In this way, his options for singular theft and attack had become endless. Kurama found the whole thing laughable, though he knew better than to laugh too hard - he relied on the stupidity of others to keep his plants happy and his collection growing. The flow of demon traffic had lessened, or course, over the centuries, but it still remained perfectly bountiful.

These thefts near Younetai were, however, only his petty crimes. No notable train of goods or powerful visitor ever passed by, and if they did, they were smart enough to know that his lands should be avoided. Kurama, instead of being frustrated by this, knew full well that he would be a very poor thief indeed if he kept his home right next to his larger jobs, where he would be lengthily searched for, and maybe even caught (just because his lands were known didn't mean that his den had yet been discovered). By expending a little more effort and time in travel, and taking a little more care, it was ensured that he would never be found, and his name as the greatest youkai thief _ever_ would remain.

So, all of his title winning prizes were taken out of town, no one was ever the wiser, and those that mattered were happy. This was all that he cared about.

-

That day, a tall demon walked into town.

It was a low-key afternoon in Younetai - no shipments were planned for nearly four days, and the recent exploits of Youko had caused something close to a standstill of business. Visitors still walked through the streets, and venders still yelled and shouted . . . but there seemed to be a quiet, a silence that permeated everything.

The sky was shifting as usual above, the color as grey as it ever was. The makai atmosphere during the day was always the same - no matter how many blinding colors and brilliant combinations it flashed, the light always shone bleached and dull red. It seemed that there was a film over the whole world, one that only lifted when the sun had set. The colors then were amazing, red-orange and breathtaking, and at night the heavens were dazzling. Dawn was pale and delicate to the point of shattering- and then the film dropped back, and the sky was dull again. Today was not at all different.

Maybe that was why Youko hunted at night.

The demon was dressed from head to foot in loose black folds, face hidden by a tight wrapping of thin black cloth that covered even his eyes. The rest of his body was loosely robed, but he still gave the impression of great strength. The back of the hood drawn over his head pointed (as though the head beneath was pointed), and his back appeared malformed and too large beneath his clothing. Despite the hindrance, he walked with certainty and purpose.

At his side, following him with surprising obedience was a handsome pale fox, its well-groomed ruff a pure, clean white, and its eyes glinting with mischief. Its thin, angular muzzle seemed to grin unnaturally at passerbies, and it too walked with purpose and grace.

Demons stared as they passed, all eyes drawn for several seconds to the odd pair before whoever owned those eyes shook himself and decided not to stare. No one dared to speak to them, for the two seemed to radiate a strange sort of power that left a weak-willed demon quiet and instantly humbled. They moved on undisturbed among the shouting and hustling.

On they walked, silent, until finally they came to one of the taller buildings of Younetai. They paused outside of the door and glanced at one another (this seemed odd, for it looked as though the taller demon could not see with his eyes covered as they were). Then the black clothed youkai turned and entered the building, leaving the second one alone to wait.

Twenty minutes passed, and soon those new demons that had not seen the tall black youkai began to eye the fox, which, though still waiting patiently, seemed to know that it was being watched. It made no move to hide, and even settled comfortably onto its haunches in plain sight, as though enjoying the sneers and whispers surrounding it.

It was the way of the makai. Anything left alone, unattended, became free property; so it was only inevitable that the fur traders would eventually gather.

These particular youkai were considered the lowest sort of demon, even below the slave traders, because of an age-old mentality held by most of those in the fur-trading field - that being a total disregard for a long-known edict of the harvest god Inari's, stating that it was a sin to kill and skin a kitsune or youko for profit (as they were, technically, his sacred messengers). Even the mostly lawless makai population obeyed this edict (if a little grudgingly). The fur traders did not, and despite their unpopularity, it still seemed that there were just enough youkai willing to buy the furs that the traders were kept in business. A fine youko or kitsune fur was something that not many of the truly low-class would say no to- especially a white one. White was the sacred color of Inari. White was rare.

"Why don't you get him?" one trader was laughing challengingly by the time another few minutes had passed. Three had gathered, all standing a safe distance from the handsome white fox, their pelt-clad forms hunched and constantly alert from years of hunting.

"Shut up!" snapped another, "That's a mature one, he can understand you."

"He probably has a trainer," said the third.

The first snorted at that. "No trainer would be stupid enough to leave one that nice just sitting by a building in a town this busy."

"How many tails does it have . . .?" wondered the second, trying to lean around so he could see the tails (or tail) curled behind the fox.

The first trader shoved him roughly over. "Who cares? I'm going to get it right now, just watch. I'm not passing up a white one _that_ fine."

The trader then began walking towards the fox, one hand outstretched, the other wandering inconspicuously towards his belt for the blow pipe hanging from the back, out of sight of the white creature. He waited until he stood barely a foot away, with the fox curiously sniffing his fingers, to start speaking.

"Hello there, kitsune," he crooned unattractively, beckoning slightly with the fingers and almost touching the pointed nose. His other hand closed around his weapon. "You're a handsome one-"

A crunch filled the air as the fox bit into the trader's hand, applying enough pressure to punch its teeth all the way through the skin and flesh, as far as the small, sharp fangs could puncture. The youkai was not given time to scream or even gasp in pain, as he was suddenly lifted high from the ground, the fox releasing its teeth from the trader's palm only after it had tugged a little. The trader was then turned around to gaze into the cloth-covered face of the trainer, who had emerged silently from the building while the trader had been preoccupied.

"I can't say that I blame my youko," said the demon mildly, his mid-tone voice slightly muffled, but perfectly clear. "You must not have been aware of the fact that he was mine."

The black-clad demon dropped the fur trader back to the ground, staring coldly down at him. "I-" said the shivering demon pathetically, clutching his accosted hand to his chest to slow the bleeding. "I-"

"Don't touch other people's things. I think that hand will serve as a good reminder of the lesson you've learned."

Then the youkai turned and swept away down the street. The youko, looking very smug, turned a moment later and trotted after him, occasionally licking blood from the damp fur of its muzzle.

-

Outside of the town, well away from the prying eyes and ears of the foolish inhabitants, the tall demon removed the cloth from around his head and smirked down at the white fox, silently thankful that the sun was going down, as it spared his eyes the pain brought from too much light.

"Well," he laughed merrily, "What do you think of that, Youko? No one's ever wanted to skin you before!" He began to laugh even harder. "What a fool!"

The form of the fox began to melt and shift rapidly, color changing almost imperceptibly from white to silver, until the tall, handsome humanoid version of Kurama had emerged. He looked decidedly unhappy.

"Of all the nerve!" came the angry cry as soon as his voice could be used, "Did he not see my tails? Five tails! How can you not see that? Tell me, Kuronue, how can you not see that? And I am _not_ even a kitsune, I'm a _youko_ - there is a world of difference between the two! Incompetent, low-class, vulgar, _disgusting_-"

Kuronue just grinned and shook his head at this; he could have reminded Kurama of the fact that youko had evolved from kitsune, and so were still part of the family . . . but there was no point, unless he wanted to get the other even angrier. Instead, he graciously allowed the silver thief to rant for a moment without interruption. It was when he began to repeat his curses that Kuronue finally jumped in. "They can't know everything. Besides, it was fun to see you bite him."

The youko sniffed, sitting on the ground and turning his head away imperiously. "It's an outrage," he said haughtily. "I refuse to maintain that particular disguise for several more years, Kuronue, understood?"

Kuronue shrugged at his ruffled partner. "Very well, Youko," he sighed, absently balling beneath his arm the long black cape he had worn to hide his figure, all the while blinking expectantly at his friend. "May I have my hat back?"

Kurama rolled his eyes, reaching into his loose white shirt and producing the requested item. "There," he said tersely. Kuronue smiled and took the black article from him, turning it fondly in his hands. "I don't suppose we can continue now? I'm quite bored with playing the _pet_."

Kuronue would have answered immediately, but as he opened his mouth to speak, he found that he could suddenly produce no sound, nor close his lips again for several seconds. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at his hat.

Somehow, in the short amount of time that the youko had been given in his humanoid form with the hat, he had replaced the old black cord with a well-made black strap, the clasp of which was a fine gold piece that glinted in the dying light. The clip was cool and smooth to the touch, and shone with an ancient quality that had Kuronue wondering exactly how old the piece was. After a moment more of study, he decided that it resembled the sun in shape, and almost looked like the clip of a geisha's obi-jime (only smaller). It was beautiful, simple and cleanly cut. Glancing up, he found that Kurama was not looking at him, instead seeming to take a keen interest in the half-set sun.

Kuronue knew better than to thank him. Youko hated having his motives called into question, and praise would only offend him. Kuronue felt oddly numb at the idea of Kurama giving him a gift in the first place, but he bit his tongue, allowed himself a small smile, and replaced the hat over his head, adjusting the strap to fit. The ensemble worked perfectly.

"Yes, Youko," he told Kurama gently, "We can go." He touched the golden clip resting over his forehead gently, rubbing at the gold back of his necklace with his free hand for comfort. That particular piece of jewelry was currently twined around his wrist, hanging safely out of harm's way.

The thief nodded, standing up and starting down the opposite side of the incline they had paused on with an irritated flick of his tails. "Finally," he muttered under his breath, "You insist on waiting for _everything_." He didn't look behind to make sure that his partner was following, instead heading straight towards the now blood-red sun, backlit, but still shining as pale as ever. There were no silhouettes with the youko; he always shone, no matter how softly, and in spite of all shadows.

Kuronue ignored the bristly response that Kurama had thrown at him, instead following the fox quietly into the fading sunlight. He was feeling more comfortable already, with his eyes were seeing more clearly every passing second as the light dwindled. He had actually only woken three hours before, and that was very early for him - normally, both he and Kurama slept till sunset, and went on their escapades at night. When they had to operate during the day, Kuronue was forced to wear the cloth over his eyes as he had in Younetai, to keep the sun from blinding him temporarily. It was one of the evils of being a bat demon.

The sky was clearing and glowing brilliantly as the greyness of the day receded and the untouched color of the evening began to spread. Soon the sky would be black and pricked with billions of tiny silver lights, and Youko's lands would hum quietly in the darkness. It was one of the things that had drawn Kuronue to this particular area, in spite of the danger of its owner. Most woods chattered and droned unpleasantly, but these . . . these were peaceful, serene, graceful, everything that was so appealing about the fox; he seemed to channel it all into his territory, as though to state that it was his and his entirely.

And with the youko on the mind . . . why had he given Kuronue the gift? Why in the makai would he favor someone who was only a partner so much? He tried to fathom it, and had to stop after only a minute. There was simply no answer. Without a direct question to the thief, there was no way for Kuronue to decide - it was impossible to assume or hypothesize about the decisions of a creature that worked with such random energy. So, Kuronue finally decided to simply be grateful that he was in such good graces with the fox, and left it at that.

It was silent. The quiet that Kuronue loved so much began to settle in, and the first few early stars began to appear in the purple sky. The moon had not yet risen, but Kuronue knew what to expect; it would be hair-fine, sliver thin and brighter than it was during its fullest point.

A frown crossed the bat demon's lips as he looked around, realizing suddenly that they weren't heading for the thief's den. "Youko?" One of the fox's silvery ears flickered back, the only sign at all that he was listening. "Where are we going?"

Finally, Kurama turned to look at him, and there was a smirk on his face. "To see someone that I've wanted to kill for a very long time."

-

The hut stood quietly on the edge of the Youne district, its rough-hewn edges stark in their highlighted blackness as the edge of the sun tickled the horizon behind it. It was an old hut, one that had probably been abandoned many times and inhabited again just as quickly, fused together with river clay, wood, and anything else that had been at hand during its construction.

It was not an attractive hut; smoke slipped through a tiny, crumbling chimney somewhere in its roof, and its windowless state seemed dreary and sad. It was squat and small and circular, with a door that did not look inviting in the least.

This was the door that Kurama pushed open with little or no regard, entering calmly into the little hovel, a disdainful expression on his face. Kuronue followed after, confused but refusing to show it.

The inside of the hut was no more attractive than the outside was. The fireplace was tiny and soot-blackened, and housed a small bed of flames that flickered dangerously in the draft of air that the opened door sent through the room. A collection of ragged blankets in one corner constituted the bed, and meals were obviously taken on the floor, as there was no furniture other than a low table covered in bits of parchment and stained with ink. Had there not been a fire burning, it would have been completely black inside without the opened door.

The owner of the hut was squatting before the fire, frozen in the middle of burning a stack of parchments. He was a squat demon, circular, with a potbelly and thin arms and calves. He resembled his hut to some respect. His heavy mandible had sent forth one canine that refused to be covered by either of his lips, and his hair was stringy and thin. Unusual white eyes were slitted to thin lines in his face.

Silence filled the hut awkwardly for a moment; then, strangely enough, the short demon smirked. "Youko," he said. His voice was dry and oddly ranged. It seemed like his words should have been nasal to some degree, but his voice was plain, entirely flavorless. "What a pleasure."

The thief smirked, folding his arms and shifting his weight to his left leg, tail almost brushing against Kuronue as it swished back and forth. "Hello again," replied Kurama, almost pleasantly. "What exactly would you be burning, my friend?" Kuronue stared at the youko in shock; he never addressed anyone or anything with affection unless he really liked them -such as his plants- or had something very big (and usually painful) in mind. Kuronue was willing to bet that it was the latter.

"Oh, nothing," the other demon replied bleakly, turning back to gaze heavy-liddedly at the curling edges of the paper as it burned. "What brings you here, after two whole centuries of silence? Your lands are almost five miles away."

"Let's not toy with one another," said Kurama. He was still staring at the demon, eyes narrowed and smirk firmly in place. "Why are there no shipments planned for four whole days?"

The demon laughed, and the sound was painfully stark and empty. "Slow business?" he suggested, and he _almost_ sounded humorous. "Why would I know-"

Kurama was suddenly standing right in front of him, hand fisted into the shirt of the demon as he lifted him from the floor, high into the air. His glare was cold now. "I believe I requested a plain conversation," he purred dangerously, "None of your ridiculous dancing around or dry comments. Why are there no shipments for four days?"

The demon stared at him for several long seconds, white eyes empty and mild. "Because they've been canceled," he said finally. "Ask the right question."

Kurama growled and slammed him into the wall above the fireplace. The demon winced, gasping and coughing softly as the air was knocked harshly from his lungs.

"Tell me _why_ they have been canceled!" Kurama growled dangerously, apparently in no mood to wait and tease information out, as he normally chose to do. "I have attacked _dozens_ of caravans before, and the idiots have _still_ come flocking. Why have they stopped now? What is happening outside of this district that would have them so quiet?"

The demon smiled, his one long canine lifting even higher above his lip than it usually rested. "See, there is the appropriate question. You have a knack for guessing right." He sighed, closing his eyes slowly, then opening them again. "Have you heard of Enma's golden platter?"

The youko blinked, obviously thrown for a loop by that question. "The one that the thief Anashiki stole last millennia?"

"The same one," the demon said. "The Reikai has finally won it back. They're shipping it right now - the group they have is so powerful, they've got caravans and traveling demons for miles hiding their heads and waiting out the storm."

The thief went quiet, eyes shining softly as he stared up at the demon. His golden orbs were glassy and bright, and there was a tilt to his eyebrows that betrayed his fast-working brain. Kuronue knew that he wasn't even looking at his captive; he was staring at the idea of the platter, turning over and over in his mind all the information he had gathered. It was an impressive theft. Were Youko able to steal it back again, the fame he would acquire . . .

"What route is it on?"

The demon chuckled (nothing more than a dry whisper), closing his eyes again. "You'll miss it. You're not prepared for the kind of attack it will warrant, and the time it will take you to travel to your den and gather your materials will be too great. You'll miss the group by maybe twelve hours. They're a full day and night's travel to the east by now, and they'll be finished with their shipment tomorrow afternoon."

Kurama was silent for almost a full minute with this news, frowning darkly as he considered this. Then his eyes lit again. "Then why have the caravans here been canceled for four days? If they're finished tomorrow, why shouldn't business resume the day after?"

"Because," said the demon blankly, "Reikai still hasn't opened a gate for them. The platter will be kept in one of the reikai forts until they can leave." Silence followed this for a second, and then the demon cleared his throat scratchily. "I wouldn't try to attack it if I were you. The fort is one of their most heavily guarded, the east Ansonai - they'll be armed for thievery to the eyeteeth."

The youko smirked evilly, lowering his head to stare up at his captive. "I suppose it's a good thing that you're not me, then. I'd never have any fun at all."

Pulling the demon away from the wall, Kurama threw him back to the ground, unconcerned entirely with the damage he was no doubt inflicting on the spindly youkai.

"Should I find that you've lied, I will kill you," said the fox calmly, turning his back to the white-eyed creature and heading forward into the darkness outside without another word. Kuronue glanced after him, then stared back at the demon- and frowned slightly. The youkai was smirking unnervingly, his blank eyes fixed on Kurama's back. Kuronue sent a warning glare in his direction before he turned and followed after his companion.

"Youko!"

Kurama frowned at turned to blink at Kuronue. They were several hundred yards from the hut now, walking back in the direction they had come, toward Kurama's den.

"What?" he asked, turning back to the dark trees that surrounded them. The final threads of daylight had disappeared during their exchanges with the youkai, and now everything was quiet and painted in the velvety shades of early night.

"What was that all about?" Kuronue was a little annoyed at being entirely left out of the dealings, but he didn't dare to show it too strongly.

Kurama only smirked, not looking back at his partner. "Oh, nothing . . ." He elaborated no more, and refused to say another word for the entire excursion back to the den.

But Kuronue swore, for all the rest of his life, that he heard Kurama murmur quietly under his breath; "I've always wanted to beat Anashiki . . ."

-

Night had come to the youko den with relief and peace, drenching everything in a black sort of calm. An almost thick, heavy dream-like quality spread with the darkness like a disease, heady and strange. The first sign that something was a little off came from Kurama, who retired to nap in his chair quite suddenly, despite the fact that there were still four hours left till dawn, his normal hour for sleep.

Maybe the air was just a little more humid than usual, or the sky that much darker; maybe there was another energy storm on the way, another release of the constant build up of youki through one of the unpredictably violent lighting showers that sometimes tore through the youko's lands; maybe the haze that changed the quality of the sunlight during the day had grown minimally thicker, to leave them all in more greyness than before.

Whatever it was, it touched everything, and even Kuronue was thrown out of balance by the odd feeling, so much so that he began hunting entirely out of time with his body clock. Usually he searched for food as soon as the sun finished setting, and then had one final meal an hour before it rose. Then he would go to sleep, either in Kurama's den or his own, and would not wake until the following evening. The youko followed a similar schedule, but the difference in their diets made finding sustenance much easier for Kuronue: Kurama had to hunt for live prey (preferably rabbit youkai, which he might choose to cook, or might decide to eat raw) to get the meat component of his diet, whereas Kuronue only ate fruit. This meant that he simply had to find a bush or tree that happened to be bearing ripe fruit -of which there was certainly no short supply in Kurama's lands- and his food supply for that day was taken care of.

But tonight he was hunting again, only eight hours after he had hunted before- something that was odd to say the least. This lasted for only half an hour before he stopped to wonder exactly what he was doing; that was when he fully noticed the odd feeling of the night, and it made him uneasy enough to beat a hasty retreat from the fox's nearly silent forests. So, overly full and oddly tired, he returned to Kurama's den. The night just felt different.

Glancing around the den upon entering, Kuronue made his way to the sakura tree, and found that the youko was fully asleep in his chair, curled into a large white ball; the slow, deep breaths he took making an almost audible noise, a subconscious noise that caught the ear and played with it. Kuronue shook himself when he realized that he was staring, and made his way to the spare bed (the dip in the pedestal that was filled with furs), falling into it with relief. That was yet another odd thing; normally, he would not have slept for another four hours. Instead of doing something about it, though, he simply blamed his exhaustion on eating too much food, and left it at that. Lazily he buried himself in the furs, allowing his wings to return to their larger form and fold tightly against his back, the strong, hooked claw at the joint of each appendage carelessly digging into the fur just above his shoulders.

This was much better than his own cave, which was lonely and barren; he possessions consisted of only a few articles of clothing, various weapons and weapon care equipment, his traveling pack, an old hair brush (it had been his mother's), a few books and one solitary fur, which Kurama had immediately given him upon first seeing his living conditions. The fox had impressively managed to make this into more of an insult than a gift, giving it for two clearly explained reasons; the first being that he wanted to put Kuronue in as much debt to him as possible, and second that he simply couldn't stand to see such an empty living space. Kuronue was more practical than the fox, and wasn't overly fond of decoration, but he had grown to like this particular bed over his own.

So it was very easy for him to let sleep take over, despite the fact that he was used to resting on a downward incline, with more blood in his head than was healthy for other demons, and which only put him, as a bat demon, to sleep with more speed. But that feeling of oddness still persisted . . . and things just felt _different_.

He had thought the youko was asleep. Kuronue himself was half gone when he heard quiet shifting from Kurama's chair, and even then, he didn't quite realize that anything was happening until he felt hands touching his left shoulder, the one that had been presented to open air when he had rolled onto his side some minutes before.

Kuronue, needless to say, came fully awake with a jolt, rolling onto his back and staring up at the white figure hovering over him. "_Youko_?" he hissed quietly in protest, "What are you doing?"

"You're so . . ." Kuronue stiffened at the growl in the youko's throat and tone, a pang of foreboding striking his overly full stomach. What was going on? "You're so _difficult_!"

A strangled gasp escaped his lips when Kurama's hand shot out suddenly, grasping him around his long white neck as he dropped to straddle the bat demon about the hips. "Why so difficult?" the youko growled darkly, claws just pricking the back of the bat demon's neck, but not drawing blood. His whole body was tensed, as though he were furious over something.

Kuronue's immediate reaction was to try and fight, but ultimately he knew much better than to move- the other was far more powerful than he was, and when in as a bad mood as he seemed to be, the best Kuronue could hope to do was reason; the youko had crushed lesser demon's necks in seconds, and he knew that his was no exception. He tried to force himself to come up with a strategy, but he couldn't make his head go there. So instead of moving or doing something sensible, the bat demon confined himself to squeezing his eyes shut in frustration. He shouldn't have let his guard down! He should have slept lightly, so that he would sense movement from the silver creature. This was what he got for thinking he could trust . . .

What had he done wrong? Why would Kurama be angry at him _now_? His mood had been perfectly normal earlier: pleasant, even, after visiting that white-eyed demon. Frantically, Kuronue began to search his mind for possibilities, anything to say to throw the other off- it might have been anger over the golden clip for his hat; Kuronue accepting it might have been the wrong choice in one of the youko's elaborate mind games . . . but that didn't make any sense: he had seemed satisfied when the bat had taken it. Maybe he was upset because he had had to play the part of an animal while visiting Younetai? No, that didn't make any sense either; they had used that disguise in earlier years, and he had never minded very much . . .

It took him a few impossibly long, desperate seconds full of half-mad ideas of what he might have done to realize that he hadn't been choked yet. Kurama wasn't applying pressure; he was just . . . sitting there and pinning him down. No blood; no sudden death.

Maybe he wasn't angry as Kuronue had thought? If the thief had truly been in a rage, he would have been dead twice over by now. A little confused, Kuronue stayed perfectly motionless, still wondering what in all the makai he had done to make the youkai act so strangely, keeping his eyes closed and his breath held apprehensively.

"Always difficult with me . . ."

Kuronue found himself confused still more when the youko's left hand rose and began to stroke his face gently, caressing even as his other remained in that stranglehold. Perplexed, Kuronue finally dared to look into his face, wanting to see some kind of explanation in his expression- and his mouth dropped open.

The youko's eyes were closed. They slid open for a brief second, but almost immediately drifted shut again, peacefully. His eyebrows were drawn down a little, his mouth forming a small frown; but the intensity of the expression didn't match the intensity of his voice in any way, and his eyes remained shut.

"You're asleep . . ." Kuronue whispered in disbelief.

"No," the youko purred, laying himself suddenly on top of Kuronue as his lips lifted into an almost gentle smile. "No, of course not . . . no sleeping, my difficult shadow . . ."

But his eyes were still closed, and his voice sounded far away suddenly, far too gentle for wakefulness. The outburst made sense, then; demonic dreams were more vivid than those of other creatures, though much rarer. Kuronue had heard of youkai walking and even holding conversations when their imaginings were especially powerful, and the youko . . . Kurama was dreaming about him.

But this was the best chance he was going to get to convince the other to remove himself - he couldn't waste it on his own shock. "Yes, you are," Kuronue whispered urgently, trying to push his partner away as he spoke. The other still had one hand around his throat, though. "You're dreaming!"

"Of course not . . ." came the lazy reply. His free hand was moving, but Kuronue was too focused on getting him off to pay attention to it.

A light growl simmered in his throat at this response. "Damn it, yes you are!" He couldn't _believe_ that he was arguing with someone who was asleep! "Get up, Ku-" And the annoyance evaporated quite shockingly as a gasp escaped his lips. "Kurama . . ."

Kuronue trailed off, his brain stalled suddenly in action. Kurama's wandering hand had crept unbidden into his vest, sliding slowly over his belly and around to his back, tracing long, pale claws curiously up to his wings. Kuronue's mind was frozen; his eyes slid shut of their own accord as his grip tightened on the thief's shoulders, swallowing thickly as he bit his lips closed. Kuronue later supposed that, thrown into the situation again (and had Kurama been awake), he might have considered just letting the youko continue with whatever he liked, whether simple fondling, or anything more intimate . . . but he knew full well that Kurama was sleeping, and that he doubtlessly wouldn't remember anything the following morning. He knew just as well that he didn't want to have to deal with inevitable anger of the youko when that moment came, so stopping him before the situation progressed was the only option.

It was still harder than he had thought it would be to open his mouth; harder than he had imagined to summon words to his brain and open his eyes again. Those hands felt impossibly good against his tired wings . . . Kurama suddenly began to nuzzle against his neck, having long since released it to explore Kuronue with both hands.

That was exactly what Kuronue needed to get a hold of himself. The natural instinct to protect his neck from another's fangs kicked in, and using that, he swallowed heavily, gathering his scattered thoughts for defense and trying to ignore the fox's hands for the few precious seconds it would take to get him off. "You . . . you're sleeping, Kurama!" he hissed anxiously, tugging at the youko's shoulders in a half-hearted attempt to remove him. "You're dreaming! Stop . . . please . . . Kurama-"

Kuronue gasped as Kurama suddenly stopped. Lightning fast he freed his hands, lifted his torso away and grabbed the bat demon hard by the arms (hard enough to bruise), slamming him back into the furs and knocking the breath from his lungs. Kuronue could feel the tell tale stinging of soon-to-be marks underneath the fox demon's fingers; startled, he winced in discomfort, sucking a heavy breath of air into his lungs to accompany the sudden pain.

Kurama was growling inhumanly, an almost mad look in his glassy eyes as they opened unexpectedly; for a second he thought that the other had woken up, but something in the glazed look told him that he was still asleep. The pleasure of the previous moment was gone, and the bat demon suffered one moment of pure, unadulterated fear (more than he had ever felt in his life) as he saw the stark glare in the youko's face; Kurama wanted to kill him. It was there, clear to see - a predatory, angry stare that froze Kuronue with terror. Was this was he thought while he was sleeping?

But the expression was gone from the youko's eyes as soon as it entered. His gaze gentled as his fingers loosened their hold. His eyes were tiredly wistful suddenly, as though he had suffered an incredible loss of sleep. A soft sigh escaped his lips.

"I would regret it."

Kuronue wasn't sure that he had heard that correctly, and he never would be. There seemed to be no way that the silver youko could have possibly said something like that, no way that he could have admitted to regret of that kind . . .

Still, he had spoken, and what seemed and what didn't seem really didn't matter anymore. Kuronue, up until that point, had always believed that he was nothing more than an extra set of hands to the fox. But from that second on, he suddenly wondered, had he possibly worked hard enough to become something greater than that? Had he become something that was almost a friend? Almost an equal? It was insane . . . but he wanted it to be possible. And the youko's words . . .

He couldn't help it: he wanted to be worth something, to be an equal, and not just a tool.

The youko leaned down then, pressing his face and body against Kuronue's, tangling his limbs with the bat demons until they were entirely impossible to loosen without waking him. "Difficult . . ." he muttered grudgingly, tiredly, and said no more, wrapped thoroughly around the youkai.

Kuronue realized after several quiet, still moments that Kurama's breathing had evened out; he had gone back to proper sleep. Just as quickly as he had risen, just as easily as he had threatened and pleased, he had dropped back into unconsciousness. And Kuronue was stuck with him until the following evening.

He didn't mind.

-

**A/N**: Please, people, tell me if I'm tasteless! O.o I hate tasteless little shounen-ai scenes, so if something seems low-grade or over used to you, let me know, and I'll probably blast it and replace it with something better (if it can't be replaced, then that's the exception). I've never written a scene like this before, so . . . yeah. O.o I did try, though! I think I rewrote this thing about four times in the end . . . I kept adding and cutting stuff. Happily, this chapter is more the length that I like to write - the ones before this have been super short (normally I write fifteen-pagers).

**To HieiWannabe**: THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING/cries/ It makes me so happy, especially since I know that you've reviewed Tikia's work with very intelligent, helpful critiques. I'm proud to be the next one in line in the family to be getting more of those critiques. Furthermore, you asked EXCELLENT questions: Let me try and address them all properly.

**The original fiction thing**: Has been removed from the first A/N, so is no longer an issue:)

**The name thing**: Yes, I'm a Funimation girl . . . ;.; It's been hard for my sisters and I to get our hands on the original, beautiful episodes, and I don't go to fan sites (you're never sure if what you're reading is right or not), so I've had to make due with what I have. We own the third volume of the manga, and I read that last night - there I did find a much clearer description about Kurama's name. I've come down to this idea, basically; because Kurama thinks that he's God (as far as youko go), he insists on being called THE Youko. This is just another example of how vain our lovely character is. :P As he got more and more famous as a thief, other demons got used to calling him by the title, and the name Kurama got lost somewhere in his pretty head. Does that make sense? O.o I know that it's still technically a mistake . . . but it would be very difficult at this point to change every single use of Youko as a name, and I'm lazy . . . so it'll have to remain a mistake. O.o

**The canon thing**: Oh, no, I don't mean that at all! I just want people to understand what is it that I've made up, because I don't want a new viewer of the show to mistake something of mine as a fact, and then tell somebody else that it's canon. I don't take any of that stuff all that seriously either, I just like to give people the little details, because . . . that's how I am. O.o I don't mean to force-feed anybody anything.

**Kuronue**: No, he's not a pansy. XD Somehow, I don't think that Kurama would put up with him if he were. However, I've never read any Yu Yu Hakusho fanfiction with either Youko ('cept for The Best Defense) or Kuronue in it, so this is all entirely out of my brain. There are people who write him that way/blinks/ Disturbing . . .

**Overall**: I guess long notes run in the family, ne? I've got Tikia standing next to me laughing right now. :P Thank you, thank you, thank you for the positive review, and I'll do my very best to keep up with what I've started! I'm so happy that someone likes it . . . /goes off to hyperventilate in a corner for a while/

**FANON/CANON**

1) "Maybe that was why Youko hunted at night." - This isn't why he hunts at night. It's one of the reasons, but the main one is Kuronue; he has trouble seeing during the day (the light hurts his eyes), so Kurama has shifted his schedule to a nocturnal one.

2) The reason I talk about the sky seeming so grey is . . . well, it just seemed that way. The only episodes I've seen that take place in the makai are the ones during the Sensui saga, and from what I saw, it looked like everything was very grey (grey/red, anyway), even though the sky was so blood colored. I'm totally pulling the nighttime stuff out of my butt, though - the only world we see other than Ningenkai at night (at least through the end of the Sensui Arc) is the Reikai. We do see Sensui and Itsuki sitting beside a fire SOMEWHERE at night, but I can't be sure if that's the makai or not.

3) Younetai is mine, as is the Youne district. And the Ansonai fort. And Anashiki. In fact, so is the weird demon . . . so be nice: no stealing.

4) "Hello there, kitsune." - Kurama isn't a kitsune. The fur traders aren't very smart . . . or, at least the one who tried to grab him isn't. (11/12/04 - There will be a much more extensive note addressing this issue that will be posted in chapter five).

5) "When they had to operate during the day, Kuronue was forced to wear the cloth over his eyes as he had in Younetai, to keep the sun from blinding him temporarily." - This is my own theory. I figure, since Kuronue's a bat demon, he gets all the baggage that goes with it. Kuronue CAN see during the day, but it's not a matter of seeing, it's a matter of how well. He could see during the day if he had to, but it would still hurt, and I think instantaneous, bright light would cause him to lose his eyesight for a while.

I also think that, like a bat, he is equipped with a second sense of sight so that he can still operate - that being sound waves. Kuronue doesn't exactly squeak - at least not by using his mouth. Some bats can create the sounds waves through their noses, and by making this the way Kuronue operates, I can keep him from having to stand there gaping like an idiot. :P The sound is almost imperceptible, and it creates an accurate picture in his mind (using depth, density, etc., implied by the change in the sound when it bounces back to him). This explains the cloth over his face; he can send the sound waves through thin clothing, which means that he can protect his eyes during the day without much difficulty. It's an inconvenient way to see, however, so he simply remains nocturnal.

6) "After a moment more of study, he decided that it resembled the sun in shape, and _almost_ looked like the clip of a geisha's obi-jime (only smaller)." - An obi-jime is the piece of cord that is wrapped around the obi in the final step of tying, and is usually only knotted, without any kind of clip to hold it shut (obi tying is a long, complicated process that varies depending on the type of knot you're making, whether you're single or not, etc, etc...). Now, I'm not entirely sure about this, but in one of the old photographs that I've seen (which was taken in Japan in the late 1800s), there are two young geisha who have golden clips securing their obi-jime. Can anyone elaborate on this for me?

7) To all those who were confused by Kurama's little sleepwalking moment, let me say, it CAN happen. Just because you're half awake and talking to someone in your sleep doesn't mean that you're conscious. My sister Tyries took an overdose of Dramamine once, and she started hallucinating about a pair of scissors on the floor of the car. To this day, she doesn't remember doing it, but I know it happened because I was the one talking to her. I know that this stuff can happen, so no saying, "But, but, how were they holding a conversation?" It works.

8) As to everyone who was probably wondering what the hell that final scene was about (the weird atmosphere of the night, and all), I've decided that it was the precursor to a storm; not a lightning storm (you get one of those later!), but a storm all the same. I'm sure you've all felt that funky sort of tingle that comes sometimes before a bad rain storm, right?

9) "Whereas Kuronue only ate fruit." - Yes, I have decided to make him a fruit bat. Why? Because I couldn't think of anything better . . . and because I wanted to have some fun with the character ;). Also, I really couldn't think of a way to make him eat bugs without it being entirely gross, so I went for fruit instead. I guess I could have made him a vampire bat, but . . . come on. O.o

11) I've now worked out the order of posting! All chapters will be posted on Friday nights, and will appear (probably) on Saturday mornings. Posts will never be made in a shorter amount of time than this, but I may take longer for some of them, considering that this is a work in progress. Bear with me. I really don't want to rush, and then end up turning out crap O.o.

12) "Color changing almost imperceptibly from white to silver." - Kurama is a silver youko, but to better his disguise, he changed himself from silver to white. Togashi says in volume three that youko are masters of illusion, so I'm pretty sure that I can do this.

13) Kuronue told Kurama about the shipments being canceled on their walk to the hill outside of the village, but Kurama didn't address it right away because he was still too angry at the fur traders. After he had vented for a while, he remembered what Kuronue had said, and then headed off for the white-eyed demon.


	4. Chapter Four: The Game Continues

**A/N**: This chapter will be a flashback, picking up where I left off in chapter two. 

-

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

--

_If you were to kill me now, right here,  
I would still look you in the eye,  
And I would burn myself into your memory  
As long as you were still alive.  
I would live inside of you,  
I'd make you wear me like a scar,  
And I would burn myself into your memory,  
And run through everything you are._

_- **"In the Eye,"** Suzanne Vega_

---

Chapter Four: The Game Continues

----

Kuronue rose to wakefulness slowly: This might have been due to the hefty blow that the Youko had dealt him, or may have simply been because, unconsciously, he didn't want to have to return to a reality in which he had just put himself in the debt of an extremely powerful, vain bastard of a demon.

As it was, he couldn't avoid waking up forever. From what he could gather without his first sight, he was still lying on his back, and was still wrapped tightly in vines. Finally, he allowed his eyes to flicker open, and the very first view he was greeted with was a beautiful one; just above him, seemingly only an arm's distance away, the vast, light-pricked makai heavens spread. Just out of the corner of his left eye, he could see the vague, velvety purple clouds of faraway solar systems that were visible in the demon world night sky. For a moment he was taken with the almost overwhelming sensation that he was insignificant, tiny, and that the sky was advancing towards him rapidly.

It took him several astonished seconds to realize that it was just an optical illusion, but it startled him nonetheless. In an attempt to sort his vertigo out (and contain that strange feeling of helplessness), he began to search the dark, brilliant skies for something he recognized, and almost immediately he had to bite his lip: Hanging directly above, as though mocking him, was the Kitsune, a constellation that came into view in the late hours of the night. He silently cursed it and began to look for others.

His luck, however, seemed to be bad that evening, and had he not still been a little too muddled to recognize that the constellations came hand in hand, he wouldn't have been so annoyed. But, as it stood, the next group of stars to come to his attention was the Hunter, named after a reikai tantei who once brought great troubles to the inhabitants of makai. An ancient legend told that when the star comprising the eye of the hunter was lit with blue light, it foretold a blood bath of a fight between the reikai and makai forces. Tonight, it shone its typical silver hue. Besides being a foreteller of war, it was simply a bad thing to notice right away.

But the next constellation to come to his eyes left him frowning in puzzlement; it was the Dragon, a body that was usually associated with change, and, more often than not, _good_ change.

He spent almost a full minute wondering what in makai could be _good_ about the recent developments in his life before he realized how silly he was being, looking at stars for some kind of divination, or even with any seriousness in the first place. Constellation reading was a silly practice, and even if it had any merit at all, it still needed to be done by a demon with real talent and experience. He was no candidate. Sufficiently awake now, he glanced around to get a more practical look at his situation, and promptly forgot about the stars and any strange meanings they might have had.

He was still in the field, lying just beneath the tree on the edge of the forest where he had first fallen. The moon had slid quite far in its path, and was around two hours away from setting. He was also, he noted, alone, though there was a plant growing several feet away that he didn't remember seeing earlier in the evening, probably left to watch him. He considered for a few futilely hopeful seconds that the Youko had decided to leave him after all, but his still-bound, plant-guarded state quickly crushed those thoughts.

He tried to roll onto his side, and found that even that was difficult. His wings ached dully from being bound for so long, and his fingers were almost devoid of feeling. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was thankful that his wings had been folded during his binding, or he would have doubtlessly been in a much greater amount of pain. When his attempt at moving failed, he dropped onto his back again and glowered up at the sky once more. He considered burning the vines and escaping, but the thought of the unknown plant mere feet away kept returning to his mind; if it really had been left to guard him, he didn't feel like tempting fate.

Needless to say, his prospects looked dim. The Youko was probably the last demon in the entirety of makai that Kuronue had ever wanted to meet, and wouldn't it just be his lot to choose the same caravan as the thief. Of course. Really, his luck had never been particularly good. Kuronue sighed heavily. It didn't help that this was one of the few large-scale attacks that he had executed in all of his centuries, for precisely this reason; he didn't like taking risks, mostly because he knew his own limits, and running into a powerful demon was something he highly doubted he could come out on top of.

"Bastard Youko . . ." he spat sourly under his breath, listening half-heartedly to the faint whispering of the grass around him. It was very quiet, save for the sound of his voce and the rustling plants. "Who's given you divine right, eh? How was I supposed to know that that was _your_ caravan? Why do you get to decide when I owe you and when I don't?!"

"Because," said the rich, smooth voice of the youko suddenly; Kuronue stiffened in horror. "_I_ am more powerful. As a result, I can expect lower level demons to place anything I desire right into my waiting hands, wouldn't you agree?"

Kuronue tilted his eyes back immediately (he didn't dare tilt his head, that would expose his throat), and was presented with the image of Kurama upside-down, still as beautiful as ever, even when tipped on his head.

Before he could speak, Kurama continued with his line of musings, crouching down to get a better look at Kuronue. "But then, I've always liked having _everything_ I wanted, even from those stronger than me." A roguish grin lit his face. "That would explain my current profession, hm?"

"You're a bastard," Kuronue told him bluntly.

The Youko gave a quiet, surprisingly mirthful snicker. "Charming," he murmured. "You're very nice." Kuronue bared his teeth angrily, but Kurama ignored the action. "What were you doing out so early in the evening? I was under the impression that bat demons didn't wander until after dark."

"I was hunting," said the dark youkai coldly. It was only partly a lie - first he had hunted for food, then he had hunted just to kill. "Minding my own business. _You_ should mind _yours_."

Kurama didn't laugh this time. He blinked at Kuronue in obvious curiosity, ears flickering swiftly on his head as he contemplated his prey. "You're very bold," the fox said after a moment, a smirk growing on his supple lips. "Very tenacious." He was silent for another moment more, then he grinned, leaning forward again. "But, nevertheless, you belong to me now. You should know better than to hunt in dangerous territory."

Kuronue hissed quietly at him, eyes widening in surprised fury. "You can't _own_ living things." But he knew that wasn't true; other demons exercised this right all the time. He wouldn't be at all surprised were he to find that the Youko had other weaker demons in his service.

Kurama seemed to find this comment as amusing as it really was, and his smirk was devilish in the bat demon's eyes. "Oh, I don't know about that. I suppose there is an argument to be made, that no matter what sentient being I obtain, I can never force it to acknowledge my hold on it . . ." He tilted his head to the side slightly, ears twitching in contemplation. "Perhaps that is why I normally focus on objects . . ."

Then suddenly he was frowning, as though Kuronue's words had actually given him something to think about. He seemed perplexed, and said nothing more for several moments. Kuronue couldn't imagine what it was that had caught his mind so firmly; he hadn't thought that anything would stump such a powerful demon. A first time for everything, the bat demon supposed . . .

Finally, Kurama shook his head and shrugged, waving off whatever odd thought had struck him so suddenly. "Never mind," he decided coolly, "I don't particularly care. The point is, I have caught you (here he smirked again), and I have a use for you."

Kuronue glared angrily at him. "You think I'll allow you to use me?"

Kurama smiled enigmatically. "We'll see, won't we?"

The Youko then stood and went to the plant growing close to Kuronue, which, as he had guessed, turned out to be a guard of some kind, to keep rival demons away him while he was still bound (and to keep him there were he to escape). As Kurama turned, Kuronue noticed for the first time that there were two straps slung over his left shoulder, and that they were attached to two large, bulky leather bags. Kuronue could only guess as to where they had come from, and what they were for.

Kurama quickly regressed the plant, returning it to its seed form and tucking it away in his thick white mane of hair. Finished with this, he turned back to Kuronue and moved towards him. He stopped when he stood right over his victim, and, much to the bat demon's surprise, reached down and slid his hand between Kuronue's shoulder blades, taking a firm hold of the vines there. To his further surprise (and indignance), Kurama then hoisted him easily up and slung him over his free right shoulder, where he hung, feet dangling several inches from the ground, back pressed firmly to the Youko's. The thief kept three fingers hooked through the vines, carrying him as he would carry some kind of bag or item, not as one would think he would carry a person.

Highly offended, Kuronue began to thrash all over again. "How dare you--!" he snarled, wishing desperately that he could kick his feet. He would have dearly loved to get even one chance at striking the silver youkai - he would hit him so hard that his pretty smirk would be ruined forever.

"Calm yourself," Kurama advised simply, "Our walk is a long one." He bent (oddly enough) to pick up Kuronue's scythe blade, and paused suddenly to think as he straightened: Then he finished standing, adding, "And should you so much as disturb one hair of my tail, I promise I will kill you."

So the youko struck out for wherever his destination was, strolling along at a leisurely pace, as though carrying bat demons over his shoulder was something he did on a regular basis. Kuronue, a little too numb to do anything but turn over angry thoughts, could only hang against his back and go along with the ride.

-

They did not stop walking for almost an hour. The Youko seemed to know exactly where he was going, but Kuronue, who had only been in the area for a few days, had very little idea as to the direction of their course. He knew which places to avoid (or he thought he had known, anyway), and he knew where the main roads were. That was really the extent of his knowledge, and in retrospect he found himself wishing that he hadn't wandered so far into Kurama's territory. He had thought that by staying on the road and a half-hour journey away from the heart of the Youko lands, he would be able to slip away unnoticed. Obviously, he had been proven wrong, and at great cost.

The scenery never really changed as they went, always caught somewhere between forests, grass fields, small creeks and mossy ridges and hills. The only terrain that was extremely dusty, or even comprised mostly of dirt, were the few roads that cut through this particular slice of the makai, and Kurama did not follow these. They had only just exited his lands a few moments before the hour ended, and he still appeared to know the terrain with perfect accuracy. Kuronue, unfortunately, did not.

When they started going downhill, small warning bells in the back of Kuronue's head began to go off. He couldn't recall why, but for some reason, he knew that going downhill in this general area was bad. The Youko didn't seem to be worried at all, though, so he eventually decided that he was being paranoid, and tried to calm his suspicions. Absently (to keep his mind off the current situation), he thought of how happy he was that Kurama had not left his scythe blade simply lying on the ground of the field, though he could not imagine why the Youko had collected it in the first place.

The scythe blade (as well as it's mate, which he had not brought on this particular journey) was a theft that he was very proud of. He had been trained with throwing weapons for his entire life, but these particular gems had caught his attention immediately as the weapons of another demon passing through his territory. They had been the items that prompted him to begin stealing (his necklace had been the second thing, but that was an entirely separate story). The blades had been his first choice for fighting since that day, and he would have been far angrier with the Youko had he allowed another demon to simply wander along and walk away with his property.

As though reading his mind, the Youko shifted his right shoulder subtly, effectively capturing the bat demon's attention. "Are you a thief, then?"

Kuronue blinked at the sudden words. "Yes," he said after a brief pause. After another few seconds of consideration, he added, "Half-thief, actually. Mostly I kill." He frowned. "Yet another thing that I don't understand; I'm no kind of rival for you. Why confine me like this?"

"Because I have a use for you," Kurama replied evenly. Kuronue wished that he could see his face. "I believe that I've already told you that. And I know that you're no kind of rival, you needn't point that out to me."

Kuronue hissed. "Sorry to _bore_ you," he snapped irritably, kicking his bound legs out in annoyance and hoping (half-heartedly) that he might trip the arrogant fox.

"Apology accepted," came the pleasant reply. "Why did you come to my lands, if you knew that you wouldn't be able to rival me?"

This was a question that he didn't particularly want to answer. It wasn't that it was embarrassing, necessarily, but he didn't want to broadcast that he had been dared into coming. The desire to try and outsmart a powerful thief by hunting in his lands for several days had driven it all, of course, but he had still allowed himself to be incensed by an outside opinion, something that he knew smarter demons didn't do.

"I wanted to see if I could sneak past you," Kuronue lied, a bitter frown growing on his lips. "Draw your own opinion. I don't particularly care." He glanced around then, noticing that they were still going downhill, and feeling a small pang of apprehension. "Is this almost over?"

He could almost feel Kurama smirking. "Impatient to be let down?"

"Very."

A soft chuckle caused the Youko's back to vibrate beneath his own. "You'll be satisfied soon enough."

Another few minutes of silence passed by then, and soon Kuronue found that it was getting harder and harder not to feel nervous. The hair on the back of his neck was beginning to stand on end, and there was an odd prickling of foreboding in the pit of his belly. They were still heading downwards, but the slope was very gradual now, almost imperceptible. Kuronue couldn't brush the feeling.

Looking around, he took in the dark shadows of the tree trunks and the faint light of the moon filtering through the leaves above. These trees looked older, and the forest was oddly silent, as though very few creatures lived in this area. He wondered why he hadn't noticed the lack of noise before.

And the Youko still seemed unbothered.

"Where are we going?" Kuronue thought he sounded oddly small and quiet in the oppressive silence.

"You'll see." The answer was too enigmatic. Kuronue's worry doubled immediately.

Because of the way Kurama was carrying him, Kuronue had a very limited amount of visibility; everything that the Youko could not see facing forward, the bat demon could view perfectly, as their heads were literally back to back. This meant that he never knew what he was going to see until Kurama passed by it.

So, it was understandable that he made no protest until it was too late. Just barely visible out of the corner of his eye, the very smallest piece of a high, grassy ridge came into his sight, and his insides clamped tightly in horror. Finally, it came back to him; two days earlier, he had interrogated a weak, low-level demon for information on the area, and the demon had warned him of a chasm just outside the Youko lands, had told him that going downhill led straight to . . .

"This is--" he began to gasp. He never finished that particular sentence, as Kurama suddenly slung him to the ground; not roughly, but easily enough to knock the breath out of him. Kuronue landed on his shoulder and rolled to his front, taking a moment to regain his breath before he opened his eyes and looked ahead.

They stood on the lip of a high, grassy ridge, which dropped suddenly into a miniature canyon, the bottom of which was not so far away as to be hard to see, but still, enough of distance to be surprising. The chasm was roughly circular in shape, and spread for maybe three hundred feet from one side to the next.

And there it was, its massive red branches spreading in giant, twisting knots, like some kind of terrifying blood-red jungle of rope. On the end of each mature branch, the eyeless, rounded heads slept easily, their fang-filled mouths closed in slumber. Every now and then, a line of drool escaped from one mouth, and the thin string would drip to the floor of the chasm, where the acid biting into the dirt would fill the air with a quiet, violent hiss. The huge main trunk of the plant took up about half of the chasm, while the rest of the branches packed themselves into the remaining air space. Kuronue felt his mouth go very dry as he stared at it.

"Are you _crazy_?" he hissed, almost inaudibly. "This is the desu tree!"

There were, of course, more than one stand of desu trees in the makai, but this particular one was the second oldest in history - it had been growing and spreading and gathering power for hundreds of thousands of years. Demons theorized that it had not begun growing in a pit at all, but instead had started on the ground, normally, and that over the millennia, the constantly dripping saliva of the plant's heads had hollowed out the ground around it, until slowly it had sunk into the earth and created this home for itself. Sane demons did not go near it; it was powerful enough now that it drew its energy from the earth of the makai, and only fed for pleasure.

Kurama smirked easily, staring at the plant with something akin to fondness. "Yes, I know."

Kuronue could not believe it. This was insane; it was crazy; it was a move made by an absolute lunatic. "Then why are we here?!" he hissed angrily, quietly - he did _not_ want to wake the plant up. "This is walking right to death, saying, 'here I am, come have me!'"

"Perhaps."

And suddenly Kurama crouched, reaching between Kuronue's shoulder blades a second time as he dropped his bags to the ground. He did not grow the guard plant again, no doubt because he knew that no other demons would dare to come near the area. At first Kuronue thought he was being picked up a second time, but his eyes widened it surprise when he felt Kurama severing a few of the vines over his back. As soon as some of the pressure had slipped away, he began to squirm a bit, and found that his wings had been released.

"Your wings are small," the Youko commented idly. "Have you shrunk them for convenience?"

Kuronue frowned in bewilderment, stretching the leather appendages out straight above him to return some feeling to them. "Of course," he muttered, "I never keep them full-size unless I have to fly."

"Return them."

"What?"

"Return your wings to their proper size."

Kuronue stared at the fox hard. There was a point to the request, he was certain . . . he just couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe the Youko really _had_ gone insane.

But he complied anyway, concentrating on his wings until suddenly they began to glow faintly with a soft blue light. After a few seconds, they shifted and stretched, and finished only when each individually (when folded) was a little taller than he was. They then returned to their normal black color and were still, his left stretched along the ground, his right tucked up against his side so it wouldn't touch the thief crouching next to him.

Kurama stared at him for a few long moments, then suddenly reached out and slit the rest of the vines.

Kuronue was speechless. He lay in the mass of severed tendrils for several astonished seconds before he forced himself to sit up, wincing as he did. His wrists and ankles hurt badly, and there were already many red impressions making themselves visible all over his white skin. He sat facing the Youko and rubbed at his wrists slowly, staring at Kurama all the while.

"You're mad," he decided finally. Kurama's mouth lifted into a smirk, but he said nothing, and after a moment Kuronue looked back to the giant demon plant. "Why are we here?"

"What do you know about desu trees?"

Kuronue cocked an eyebrow at the Youko, glaring at him. "I know it's crazy as hell to show up on the doorstep of one."

The Youko's mouth twitched into a vaguely amused smile. "But what do you _know_ about them?"

The bat demon frowned. "Not much."

"Well, then you do not know that they are one of only seven plants with the ability to resist my magic. You are aware that I am a plant master, of course, but there are . . . certain varieties with minds that are almost close to sentient, and I have no control over sentience."

Kuronue felt his frown deepening in confusion. "I don't . . ."

Kurama, however, ignored this interruption, continuing airily; "But just because their will is strong, that does not mean that they're particularly smart. They have a habit of focusing on one target, and going after only that target. I want a seed from this tree- obtaining one when it is still immature is the only way for me to control it. I have to raise it from scratch. I still need the bait, however, before I can steal the seed."

Kuronue saw where this was going all too well. His mouth slid into a thin, cold line. "And I'm the bait?"

"Precisely." Kurama looked immensely pleased.

The bat demon snorted sarcastically. "And what's in this for me?" A brief sense of morbid humor gripped his mind. "Other than death, I mean?"

Kurama stared at him for a long, painfully quiet instant. Below them, another hiss drifted from the chasm as one of the heads released a thin line of spittle. "Do you like thieving?"

The question was so sudden and quiet that Kuronue was momentarily taken aback. "What?" he asked when he was through blinking.

"Do you like being a thief?" Kurama elaborated. His expression was still unreadable.

Kuronue thought about this. At first he had opened his mouth to say yes, but suddenly he had found himself stopping to really consider it. Did he? He hadn't even really stolen much before . . .

". . . No," said the dark youkai finally. Kurama lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. "I like killing things. I've only stolen a few times in the past."

Kurama's mouth lifted into that same mischievous smirk that had lit his face for so much of the night, but this time his eyebrows were set in amusement, instead of lowered in intimidation. It was almost a smile. "Then perhaps, should you survive, I might have more things for you to kill."

Now Kuronue was totally taken aback, and staring was all he could manage for quite a while. Then his lips parted; he moved to speak, to say something-- and no words would come out. He had thought coming to this place was crazy; he had thought that the Youko's questioning and sudden release of him were crazy. But this . . .

This was an offer of partnership.

This was the last thing he had ever expected to hear from the Youko - the _Youko_, of all demons! "You mean . . ." His mouth was suddenly very dry as he spoke these words.

But Kurama never allowed him to finish his sentence; the words were lost forever as the Youko suddenly leaned forward, grabbing the back of his vest just between his shoulder blades and the back of his white hip cover just over his tail bone, lifting him from the ground as though he weighed nothing. "Come, Kuronue!" he cried, "We don't have all night!"

And with these words he threw the bat demon into the chasm, laughing all the while as Kuronue gasped, as the desu tree came awake, and as their first act of thievery together began to unfold.

------

**A/N**: CLIFFHANGER!

/laughs madly even as she's stoned by angry family members/

And there's chapter four! I'm so happy. XD I have a rule, that if I manage to make it to chapter four, then I'll never abandon the story no matter how long it takes. This little fic just made it! /hugs it/ I'm very happy with this piece so far. I know that the chapter is short, but really, I think I've managed to state everything I needed to.

So review, damnit! /cackles/

**To HieiWannabe**: Eek, I guess chapter two didn't do quite as well as number one. O.o Again, I'll do my best to answer your questions/comments.

**Flashback Theme**: I'm very sorry that you were so confused about the chapter switches - I did put a note at the end of chapter one (in the A/N - it said, "Oh, and just so you don't get confused, the next chapter will be a flashback. I'll then be switching the chapters, so chapter three will pick up where this one left off, then chapter four will pick up where chapter two left off.") I should have anticipated that some people would miss it, however, and should have added a reminder at the beginning of the chapter. /bows/ I'm very sorry - I thought that the note was going to be enough.

**EVERYBODY PLEASE READ THIS**: I don't want any more people getting lost in my whacked-out themes (I'm sorry I made it so weird), so I'm going to try and explain this as clearly as I can. There are two themes within this story: The first is one that follows a current timeline, which will go through Kurama's time with Kuronue after they've been partners for four hundred years.

The second theme is one that runs on a flashback timeline, which will explore Kurama meeting Kuronue, and the setup/early formation of their partnership. The first theme is covered by chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. (i.e all odd numbered chapters), and the second by chapters 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc. (i.e all even numbered chapters). The reason for these two themes is simple - I want to superimpose their lives and their personalities from a time when they're younger, less experienced, and not very comfortable with one another, over a time when they are older, wiser, and have a much greater amount of respect for the other.

The entire purpose of this story is to explore exactly what a demonic relationship would be like, and I was hoping to give extra depth to the story by showing how things can change over the course of a few simple centuries. My intention was not at all to confuse people, and I'm very sorry that that was all it seemed to accomplish. /bows again/ From now on, I'll post a note at the beginning of each chapter stating whether it's a flashback or not. Unfortunately, I can't change the setup of the themes without breaking it into two different stories (one past, one present), so I'll just have to carry on in this way. I hope everything progresses a little more smoothly from here on.

**Kuronue's Eyes**: Thank you for the input! :) I haven't been able to find that particular piece of information anywhere! /hugs/ Eye color is very useful for character description - you've helped me out a lot with this one. :P

**Kuronue Being the Thief of Chapter Two**: You are right, that normally Kuronue would have been hunting at that time - but the caravan isn't going to stop and wait for him to eat, so he had to get up early and eat then to be able to attack it. Yes, this is a convenient plot twist, but . . . I needed to introduce him to Kurama-baby somehow, and that seemed the most plausible way to do it. Plus, I wrote the first four chapters before I had any real idea as to where I was going with the fic, so some of the information in those chapters is probably inaccurate to work of later ones. I tried to go through and edit it all out, but I inevitably missed a few things. It's funny, though - my sister thought the same thing, that Kuronue was Hiei. XD I wonder how many other people I got with that one?

Oh, and just so you know - that zippy speed-thing of Kuronue's is a special attack. You don't know that in this chapter, but in chapter six I go into it in more detail. Normally he's fast, but not to the point of blurring. So, it's still a special Hiei thing. :)

**The Note**: Oh dear . . . I didn't mean for that to be scary at all. Well, I did, but only to the staff of FFN.

I wrote it after I tried to put my first chapter into the editor-thing, and found that it had deleted about half of my formatting and information. I'm not exactly a computer savant, and it took me roughly forty-five minutes to get that first chapter prepped, and to figure out how to upload a chapter with any inkling of knowledge. I haven't posted a fic on this site for over a year, and I when I did post my first fic, the process of uploading was much easier and much more efficient. I was mad at FFN for changing something that had been so perfect, without, seemingly, a point.

I was angry about the asterisks for a different reason entirely. When I write a fic, I try to choose different symbols for my scene breaks to convey a mood - to paint a picture with the story, if you will. Not only did I lose my asterisks with these new changes that they've made, but I lost another symbol as well (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's that wiggly thing next to the number one key). I had everything specifically formatted and prepped, and it was very frustrating to find that I couldn't use either of these symbols.

I wasn't trying to scare anybody, only trying to convey my frustration over pointless changes in uploading systems. If I were to receive a flame, I wouldn't ever respond with such negativity or anger, I would try and talk with the person and figure out what they didn't like. Or, if they were just obvious bigots with nothing better to do than flame me, I would ignore them, or write them a note asking them not to read the story anymore. I wouldn't yell at them - not like that. I'm sorry that it came out as upsetting, especially since I ran it by three people before I posted it. I'm going to go back and remove it now anyway (it's served the best purpose it's going to serve, I guess - I doubt Vindictive is ever going to read the fic, and there's no one else that I really wanted to have find it), so don't worry. I doubt I'll be ranting anymore. :)

Overall: Again, thank you thank you thank you for reading - as usual, your comments were useful (thank you so much for telling me what color his eyes are, and please don't feel obligated to watch the movie just for me - I was really only being silly), and I'm happy to have such a conscientious reader. I'll try and be clearer as to distinguishing between the two themes from now on, and I hope that in turn you'll keep reading, as I value your opinion very much. :)

- TD

**FANON/CANON**

1) The Constellations have been pulled entirely out of my ass. No laughing. I was having writer's block, and I thought, "Ooh, stars, pretty!" and flew away with the idea.

2) It is never established whether Kuronue was a thief to begin with or not ('cause he kind of DIES in the movie, and we never learn anything else about him), so I've decided that he kind of was, kind of wasn't. I think he was sort of a Hiei-esque thief. He stole when he needed to, and killed a lot more.

3) The Desu tree stuff has ALSO been pulled entirely out of my ass. I know nothing about the desu tree - I just know that it's a wicked-ass plant that Kurama whips out of his hair at one point, and again, I thought, "Ooh, vicious plant, pretty!" and ran off with the image. Desu (as far as I know) means death - I looked it up on some Japanese-English website. No stoning me if I'm wrong.

4) "From what he could gather without his first sight." - Eyesight is Kuronue's first mode of vision; sound waves are his second. So, technically, he has two sets of eyes, if we want to get really detailed in our little brains.

5) "The scythe blade (as well as it's mate, which he had not brought on this particular journey)." - Kuronue is pictured at one point during the movie wielding two blades, so I figured what the hell, it ate up another paragraph to describe them.


	5. Chapter Five: The Game of Confusion

**A/N**: Yes, I'm updating extremely late. Sue me. :P This chapter will pick up where chapter three left off.

Also, for anybody who is interested (who began the story before this update), I've made some minor changes to chapter one, and one important one (I've changed the length of their partnership from two centuries to four), so if anybody's interested in re-reading, feel free to do that. Also, I've changed two important pieces in chapter three (in regards to the fur traders and why people don't like them, and also cutting out some of the spiciness at the end), so definitely go back and read those parts if you can. Now, enjoy your very late update:)

-

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

-

_I remember when, you and me,  
Mm, how we used to be.  
Just good friends,  
Wouldn't give me none...  
But all I wanted was some._

_- **"Bubble Toes,"** Jack Johnson_

-

Chapter Five

-

"Kuronue!"

The bat demon jumped, eyes snapping up to his partner in surprise. _What?_

The edge of the moon was just beginning to appear over the horizon, glowing brightly in a form only slightly thicker than that of the night before. The air smelled fresh, clean and new, traced with the signature scent of the silver fox that owned that particular stretch of the makai and the damp sweetness of newly fallen rain. The trees around them were dark, silhouetted shapes in the moonlight; black, but not entirely imposing. Kuronue had noted all of this already, but apparently, his attention had wandered from other things . . .

As his eyes fell on the familiar unearthly figure of his companion, Kuronue found that the youko was frowning, turned from the waist as he glared back at his companion. His golden eyes were obviously perplexed, and his ears were canted in annoyance. "What is wrong with you?" demanded the fox impatiently. "You've been drifting off since you left to hunt earlier. Pay attention!"

The corners of Kuronue's mouth turned down as he lowered his head in embarrassment. This was the second time in the same evening that he had been reprimanded for ignoring the silver fox while he was speaking. "Sorry," he muttered quietly.

Kurama frowned at him for several more seconds, then finally turned forward once again. "Keep your eyes open," he ordered sharply. "You're acting carelessly."

Kuronue nodded, but there was very little acknowledgment in the action. Of course, the silver character had always liked Kuronue to be attentive to him, to always be listening . . . but this evening, Kuronue just couldn't bring himself to reality. He had already listened to the youko's instructions upon leaving the den; he knew what they were looking for, and he couldn't see why he would have to be paying such great mind to the surroundings to do it.

Instead, his mind was drawn to something else that had come barely eight hours earlier, leaving in it's wake an odd feeling of weightlessness, a dryness in his throat, even a twinge of fear in his gut. He had always been somewhat afraid of the youko, sometimes more, sometimes less, but this encounter . . .

He could still feel the white hands on his chest; he could still smell Kurama's hair; he could still imagine the overly full drag of his stomach, and somehow, there was still the almost sickly thickness of the night, like the heaviest nectar he had ever tasted pulling behind his throat and his lungs and his eyes and dragging him into a world that was wholly Youko.

He could still remember it, like a dream- even though Kurama had been the one dreaming. Waking up had been beautiful, silent; a needed transition from surreal encounters to reality in the dark room, still trapped in the youko's arms . . .

-

_Kuronue woke shortly an hour after sunset, as he always did. He needed on average only nine hours of sleep, but in turn required a large amount of food to keep his speed at its peak. His entire style of life had been built around these needs . . . and now, rebuilt around something else pale and nightmarishly perfect._

_This evening, food was second on his mind as he fought his way to consciousness. Far more pressing in line for thought and consideration were the arms that were still wrapped around him._

_Kurama had loosened his hold considerably over the course of the day, and after a small amount of experimental shifting, Kuronue found that it would not be hard to slip away without rousing the sleeping youko. After a few moments of consideration . . . and another few to enjoy the affectionate hold he was sandwiched in . . . he decided that moving would be best, and slipped out of the long white arms, rolling carefully away and rising to his knees._

_There, in that odd, quiet moment, Kuronue simply stared at his companion, taking a chance to look at him in a way that most were never allowed to see; blissfully unconscious and comfortable, with a relaxed face of pure contentment. As any other demon, Kuronue probably would have not been able to see Kurama, as there was no light at all in the cave; but as a bat demon, his vision was far superior, and he could see the silver fox with an almost frightening clarity, every detail, every perfectly drawn line sure to be burned into his memory forever._

_He was more handsome than any demon Kuronue had ever seen, and that was not an exaggeration. Even other youko (though he had seen only a few) seemed to lack something in comparison, something unfathomable and incredible. His skin was unmarked, smooth and light in expanse. It was eye-catchingly perfect, and remarkably unmarred when considering the kind of life he lived. Like milk and a little blood, the lightest tinge of pale pink around the cheeks and lips._

_His hair practically begged to be touched and stroked; moon-like in color, and well composed with each impossibly thin, fine strand. The thick mane was something that could almost be called godly (he had seen hair like it in ancient tapestries depicting real gods), and it was even smooth, not rough- like the finest satin, slippery beneath the fingers and the mouth._

_But more attractive than anything were the mischievous, perfect gold eyes that could convey so very many thoughts and desires, more alive than any Kuronue had ever gazed into. Those eyes told of an incredible amount of knowledge; a perpetually running train of thought. They spoke of vitality and cunning and arrogance, a huge sense of pride and superiority, and untouched, perfect grandeur. They were eyes that were rarely seen, and so were all the more beautiful._

_And all of these things combined . . . made his partner._

_Kuronue could not stop staring at him. He suddenly had the surprisingly strong urge to crawl back into the youko's hold, but he pushed it back with a small amount of alarm. Who in the makai had ever heard of the prey crawling **back** to the predator? Kuronue berated himself sternly for the stupid idea . . . and continued to think of it all the same. He eventually decided that he was just overtired, and tried to ignore the temptation._

_It was an incredibly good thing that Kuronue had chosen to disregard his impulses like this, for Kurama suddenly decided that it was time to wake up. The situation would have been very different indeed had Kurama thought he was being taken advantage of; after all, it was **his** lot to take advantage of Kuronue, not the other way around._

_So, he had not been caught in what could have been a very embarrassing situation, but Kuronue was still ruffled all the same, and he spent a few panicked seconds trying to decide what in Enma's hell to do. It was far too late to play dead, and so the very best he could come up with in the end was to simply sit still until he was noticed._

_Kurama did this rather quickly- along with a few other things, such as sitting up suddenly and glancing around in bewilderment. Kuronue would have laughed at his puzzled expression, and he supposed later that he should have (to better maintain the illusion that he wasn't as nervous as he was), but the greatest he could manage was to blink and keep breathing._

_"Ah," Kurama said finally, frowning over at his throne. "I've moved, I suppose." His nostrils flared in distaste as his ears twitched. "Annoying." He then rose from the furs and returned to his chair, curling up in it gracefully, accompanied by the faint rustlings of cloth against skin. "Shouldn't you be hunting?" he called suddenly to Kuronue, who jumped._

_"I . . ." The bat demon instantly berated himself for the hesitation and jumped to his feet, going to the table where he had left his scythe blade. His skin tingled oddly as he moved, but he brushed the feeling away. "Yes," he replied when it was twined properly around his hand. "I'll be back in a few hours. Are we pursuing something tonight?"_

_"Yes," said the youko. "We will leave as soon as you return," Then, as far as Kuronue could tell, Kurama went back to sleep._

_Kuronue could think of nothing to say; the night was over. The dream had ended. Silent, he turned and left the room._

-

He couldn't imagine _what_ was wrong with the bat demon.

Ignoring him once was one thing - understandable, even. But twice? It was unheard of. Kuronue _always_ paid attention after one sharp word or annoyed glance. Lenience was not something that Kurama supported, and Kuronue would have to learn that in a much harsher way if he made the mistake a third time.

It was a bad day for Kuronue to be inattentive: Kurama himself had woken up to find that he had _moved_ in his sleep, and, understandably, not remembering this move had left him rather irritable; he was certainly in no humor to put up with someone else's problems. It wasn't his job to keep those around him happy.

Most irritating, though, was that he _knew_ he had dreamed about the bat demon again - he couldn't remember the dream, but he was quite certain that it had involved his partner at one point. That was bad. It showed a serious attachment of some kind, and he couldn't afford to be quite that invested in another creature. He refused to let his senses depart at such a crucial point in the game.

Part of his irritation, though, came simply from the fact that he disliked dreaming - it wasn't something he did often, and when those surreal thoughts did come, they were usually in the form of nightmares. Even worse, sleepwalking came with the most realistic of the dreams, and he disliked that even more than the images themselves. He hated the uncertainty of the unconscious world; he hated the powerless feeling that came with it . . .

And most of all, he _hated_ not knowing what he had done during the day or night, in those hours he spent caught somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, lost in one of those frighteningly lucid dreams.

This was certainly not the first time that he had woken to find that he had moved, either - after going to sleep in the woods surrounding his den one night (while he had still operated on a diurnal schedule), he had arisen the following morning to find himself in an entirely different clearing, where half of the trees around him were shriveled and dead - and he knew that he had been the one to kill them.

He supposed that (if he had really been sleep walking) his antics might be what had set Kuronue on such an edge, but he didn't really feel like cutting the bat demon any slack if that were the reason. It wasn't _his_ fault. He couldn't have done anything terribly bad, anyway - Kuronue didn't look injured, none of his clothes had been ripped, and even his strange mood was relatively mild. A quick glance backward told him that Kuronue was gathering his wits even as he thought. For all that Kurama knew, he had simply slept badly (after all, the Youko had taken over his bed, leaving him nowhere but the rough pedestal to sleep), and was suffering from a little lack of rest.

. . . but now that he thought about it, the bat demon did smell much more like youko than usual. Maybe . . .

He stopped that thought right away as his irritated mood immediately doubled to real anger. If he accosted the bat demon in _any_ way, then he wanted to be _awake_ to do it. There was nothing more infuriating than not being able to revel in one of his victories.

"Youko?"

Kurama frowned, turning his head slightly to eye his partner. A glance on his part was all that was needed in way of reply.

The bat demon looked like he had finally gotten his brain back; his eyes were shining with their typical watchful light, and his mouth was set in thought. "Where are we going, exactly?" he asked, one fine black eyebrow turned down slightly.

Kurama glared at him in obvious distaste. "I already told you, Kuronue. Were you not listening then, either?"

The bat demon frowned, folding his arms and quickening his pace a little, so that he drew even with the pale thief. After four centuries of partnership with the youko, he had perfected his perplexed expression to magnificence, and while it still was not _quite_ as expressive as Kurama's, the look was more than enough to convey his point. "You weren't exactly free with your description."

Kurama rolled his eyes, facing forward yet again and pretending to ignore his partner. "We're going to find a map," he said with obvious exasperation. "The journey will take us no more than an hour, more than half of which we have already wasted in company with your _moodiness_-"

"I know that that's what we're doing!" Kuronue interrupted, violet eyes flashing quietly in the darkness. Four centuries had also taught him many things other than expression, too . . . Kurama was almost proud of how well he had rubbed off on his partner, but on the other hand, it was perplexing to have to deal with some of his own idiosyncrasies. "_Where_ are we going to find this map? And what it is going to be a map of? You still haven't told me what we're going to be hunting, you know."

The youko kept his bright eyes turned carefully forward upon hearing this, still not gazing at his companion. Now, though, he did it to keep from smiling. "Well . . ." he said slowly, enjoying the annoyance that he could almost feel radiating from Kuronue, "I suppose I should say." He allowed a few seconds of silence to pass, turning his eyes to the dark sky overhead, as though searching for an explanation. "We're going to find an interior map of the reikai fort near Ansonai. You do remember hearing of that platter, don't you?"

Kuronue disappeared from his peripheral vision. Blinking, Kurama stopped and turned, finding that his companion had frozen mid-step to stare incredulously at him. "We're going to attack the reikai _directly_?"

Oh, he loved the bat demon's reactions sometimes . . . Feigning innocence, he blinked narrowed golden eyes at his companion, a smile that was almost sweet taking hold of his mouth. "Not for three days," he defended, barely suppressed laughter evident in his voice.

His partner continued to stare at him. "The time we take to do it doesn't make it any less crazy!"

Grinning, Kurama set his ears back in nonchalance, closing his eyes with a shrug. "Why not? We have fought them before."

"No," Kuronue corrected him, frowning darkly, "We've _defended_ ourselves from them. There is a difference, Youko!"

His grin slid into a smirk, the golden eyes open as he turned to begin his easy walk forward once more. His bad mood had disappeared as quickly as it had come, with didn't bother him in the slightest - one of his greatest joys was being fickle. "I don't see a great difference," replied the thief easily, "We're hardly weak, Kuronue. It might be fun."

The bat demon groaned, jogging to catch up to his partner. "You've said that about dozens of other things- do you remember when we attacked that caravan that happened to be carrying items of _Mukuro's_? You said we were powerful then, too! Or when you took me to that _desu_ tree, that was certainly a lot of _fun_-"

"I believe that that was when we first met, wasn't it?" Kurama sighed fondly, nostalgically turning his eyes up toward the sky (because he knew that it would annoy Kuronue all the more).

"I don't care _when_ it was-"

"Oh, stop being such a gibbering old woman," the youko huffed suddenly, shaking his head in disbelief. "One would never know that you're my partner." Stopping, he folded his arms and set his ears straight, turning to regard his frowning companion with calm smugness. "As long as we are well prepared and well rested, we are unstoppable. When has one of our thefts actually failed? Yes, perhaps we have retreated, but never without at least part of our prize. Even with Mukuro's train of goods, we still left with something. Think of what we will gain! Anashiki stole this item nine _hundred_ years ago, and until now it has remained safely in his family, untouched by anyone. With such a relic to our name (stolen right out of the hands of the reikai, no less!), think of the results! I can't believe that you're not excited by the prospect." Kurama's eyes were shining with this speech, bright and wonderfully alive.

Kuronue was still frowning, though now the expression was solely worried, with only the faintest traces of residual annoyance. "Kurama . . ." he said quietly, and the youko stopped, ears twitching upon being addressed by his real name again in such a short amount of days. "Don't forget that this is the reikai. They're still the most powerful of the three worlds . . ."

Kurama let a smug huff escape his lips, turning again to begin a new, brisk walk in their chosen direction. "Of course I won't forget," came his airy response, one graceful white hand fluttering dismissively at his partner. "You worry without foundation or need. Come on, and not another word of protest - unless you wish to remain behind?" Kurama frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the quiet bat demon. "You always have that option, you know."

"Yes, I know," Kuronue responded quietly. "And of course I'm coming. But . . ." His frown deepened, violet eyes turning down to the forest floor as he hesitated suddenly. Kurama paused along with him.

The bat demon seemed to be gathering himself. Then he lifted his head, eyes calculating and face suddenly calm. "I left you once before, if you remember."

Kurama frowned lightly, the thought of continuing their journey suddenly gone. Why was the bat demon bringing that up again? "Of course," he responded neutrally, not wanting to reveal his curiosity.

"I could go again."

One of the Youko's eyebrows shot up, his left ear flickering back as his lips spread into a smug expression. Was he being threatened? How unusual of his partner. "You'd get as far as you did last time before you returned."

Kuronue's face was still calm. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Kurama repeated incredulously, eyes amused. How perfectly ridiculous of Kuronue. "No, there are no variables. You returned then, you will return now." His tone couldn't be any more certain: there was simply no way that Kuronue could bother him with such a thought - he knew the other youkai too well. "You came back because you realized how much you needed me."

"Or how much you needed _me_."

Kurama had not been expecting those words. He stopped for several full seconds in surprise, eyes widening minimally and ears flickering back in uncertainty. "What?"

Kuronue folded his arms, head tilting slightly to one side as he narrowed his eyes at Kurama. "Looking back on it now, Kurama, I realize that you are right," his violet gaze was fixed on Kurama's own golden eyes as he spoke. "That at that time, I couldn't have survived without you. But remembering how you acted when I came back, how much nicer you were to me than you had ever been before . . ."

He paused for several seconds, then shrugged, smiling lightly as he dropped his arms and walked around his partner. "Well, I can't help but think that perhaps I wasn't the only helpless one."

The bat demon turned then, icy smile fixed in full on his startled partner. Kurama's eyebrows shot down in protest, and he was opening his mouth to contradict such an idea when Kuronue cut him off, saying, "Let's not fight over something that's only my opinion, Kurama. Let's go find your map and prepare your traps, and have our fun. And be sure to bring your light, Kurama . . ." His dark amethyst eyes narrowed in a frighteningly youko like expression. "I'm feeling especially dark tonight."

-

Theft had always been one of his strengths. Theft of objects, theft of techniques, theft of lives - theft in general, really. Anything that required quick fingers and a nimble mind, he was bound to excel at.

It wasn't like it was his greatest ability - that, of course, was his mastery over plants. Second to that was doubtlessly his power over his own image (youko were, of course, natural masters of illusion), and third was his ability to comprehend and use the hidden techniques and abilities written on the ancient scrolls he so enjoyed stealing. As a cousin of the kitsune, a very small amount of his youki was spiritual, and so it was not impossible to use reiki attacks. They were, however, difficult to use, and so mostly he stayed true to his youki. Thrown in between these top three abilities was his power of theft, and ranking somewhat lower than all four were his physical strengths, which by no means were weak, but merely underused.

This was because he was used to back attacks; fighting head-on was not his specialty by any means, and it was so much more fun to simply strike from behind and end the encounter with little or no inconvenience to himself. Kurama had no honor code; the ends always justified the means, which meant that if he had to strike low, throw sand in his opponent's eyes, omit information, bluff, or intimidate into submission, he would. Survival was the first order of the day; any energy or time wasted on concern for another being was simply that: A waste.

This was the easiest way to live, and he had chosen it many, many years ago. The older he got, the less any kind of change appealed to him, which suited such a life style perfectly.

This was what he reflected on as he slipped effortlessly into the tiny reikai outpost that they had been searching for. The building had been very well hidden (the reikai was growing more and more skilled at survival in the makai), but not nearly well enough - he had discovered it some years before, easily.

Interestingly, this particular outpost not only kept an eye on the surrounding demons (this was the troublesome one that kept sending reikai hunters to his lands. He wasn't particularly bothered by it's existence, however, as those hunters always ended up as fodder for his plants), but also stored several necessary blueprints for the five forts stationed within a ten day traveling radius of its position, in case of necessary rebuilding due to youkai attacks.

Kurama had known about the maps since he had first discovered the outpost, but he had never stolen one before, in part because he knew that they would be moved to another post as soon as the theft was discovered. In a way, he had been saving the opportunity.

And what better time to take advantage of it?

As it had been years before, the outpost was still small, and still neatly kept. The appointed tantei was apparently out at the moment, which worked perfectly for his purposes. There was hardly any need to be silent, but why not? Any opportunity to sharpen his skills was good. Kuronue had not come into the hut with him, instead waiting outside, nestled in his shadows, to watch for the return of the tantei.

And thinking of Kuronue . . . Kurama frowned as he moved toward the shelf set against the far wall that held the desired blueprints, images of the bat demon with that oddly placed smirk on his face rising to the top of his mind.

Kuronue lived differently than he did: The bat demon, as far as he could tell, had a very general code of honor that the youko constantly found himself confused by. At first he had been bothered by Kurama's way of attacking from behind, but the pale thief had gotten him used to that as quickly as possible; he didn't need some kind of saint as his partner, after all. Other small things had cropped up over the centuries, but they had been dealt with. Generally, though, Kuronue acted enough like any other youkai so as not to bother Kurama.

Sometimes too much like a youkai . . .

It was startling to say the least, when Kuronue gave the kind of rare moment that he had displayed earlier; where he not only played the game with all of his heart, but played it _well_. The youko could only recall maybe a dozen other occasions throughout the years where he had participated with such grandeur.

That conversation had been a threat, meant to remind Kurama of the fact that Kuronue still had a free mind. He acknowledged fully that he couldn't withdraw from the partnership; it wasn't as though he were threatening to do that . . . instead, it seemed more that he was trying to make himself equal to Kurama, to say, "Yes, I can't leave . . . but neither can you."

And Kurama didn't know anymore whether that was true or not.

A frown painted itself across his face at that thought, and as suddenly as he had begun to think about the situation, he forced himself to stop. Such musings would only make him crazy in the end - there was no fathoming such tiny intricacies. It was still his game, anyway, and whether or not Kuronue wanted to pretend that he was equal was irrelevant. Kurama would still win in the end, and no small threats or details really mattered when placed against that end result.

Instead, he turned his attention fully back to the shelf, where his hands had been going through the stacks of papers automatically, the thief part of his mind watching while the rest had been contemplating. He had gone through three stacks of papers already; orders from the reikai, copies of requests to have additional tantei sent (he smirked when he found that half of them had been called for on his behalf), supply lists, other useless blueprints . . .

Another two stacks had to be searched before he finally came across what he needed; a faded, rectangular square of parchment, delicately inked with the words Ansonai, East Fort. He scanned over the aerial schematics of the fort before returning to the stack. Three more blueprints were added to his collection by the time he finished looking, and he placed these with great smugness by the first.

This finished, he reached into the folds of his shirt, producing five large, slightly crumpled pieces of paper, four of which he spread on the ground in front of him, the fifth disappearing back into his shirt. Taking the blueprints, he set each one on top of its own piece, folding the blank papers until they all were the same size as their individual blueprints. Removing the blueprints then, he sliced the extra paper from the edges of the blank sheets, the clippings being tucked into his sash quickly.

Now he had good bases to work with. Setting each blueprint on the ground above its corresponding piece of paper, he held his hands over the two rows, closing his eyes in concentration. The original blueprints began to glow, followed seconds later by the papers beneath them. Another few seconds passed, then the formerly blank parchments below the blueprints flickered once, twice- and were suddenly no longer blank. Each appeared to be a perfect copy of whatever blueprint they matched with, right down to small rips around the edges and each tiny piece of cross hatching detail.

Satisfied with his work, Kurama put each of the replacement blueprints back into their original stacks, which were then returned to the shelves and moved delicately until the youko was certain that they looked untouched.

He was turning to leave, each paper now carefully returned to its proper place (save for the original prints, which were safely tucked beneath his arm), when he noticed a small slip of paper that had doubtlessly fallen from some of the papers he had sorted through, escaping his notice by drifting some feet away. Frowning, he leaned down and retrieved it, sliding a thumb between its folds to open and read whatever content they might be hiding.

"Youko!"

Kurama blinked, turning his head up to find Kuronue frowning at him through the open door, face upside down as he hung from the roof of the outpost. "The tantei is coming back!" he hissed softly, before withdrawing from the door and returning to the roof.

Still frowning, Kurama tucked the piece of paper into the back of his sash to read later and darted for the door, joining the bat demon on the roof before departing silently. The tantei wouldn't know that anything was missing for several days at least (the illusion on the papers would last for an entire week. The only other giveaway might have been an abundant amount of youko scent in the outpost, but Kurama doubted that the tantei's nose was that sharp), and even if he did discover the decoy papers sooner, it was very doubtful that he would have enough time to inform the fort.

Everything was working out perfectly.

-

They returned to the fox's den perhaps an hour and half later, the blueprints triumphantly placed on one of the low tables upon their entrance into the main chamber. The journey to and from the outpost was not normally a long one, but they had spent much of it wandering in other directions, to better throw the tantei off of their scent if he could indeed pick up on it. The decoy blueprints would probably be enough in the end, but Kurama, ever cautious, had insisted on wandering several miles out of their way, saying that this was one of the key elements of their preparation.

Now, safely back in the den, Kurama contemplated the next step of their soon-to-be greatest theft ever, oblivious of his partner, who had gone oddly quiet upon following him to the great sakura tree.

Instead he went to the tall, flat expanse of tree trunk on the left hand side of his throne, pushing his fingers into two small holes in the wood at waist height, pulling and revealing a hidden drawer. From this he produced an emerald colored tunic, loose and unadorned. Settling this over one arm, he removed the extra piece of blank paper from his shirt and dropped it to the floor, sending the extra scraps of parchment to join it before untucking his white shirt and drawing it off of his shoulders, frowning slightly as he did. The shirt was long in need of a thorough washing-

A soft noise behind him halted his movements, bringing his gaze around to his partner, who was standing some ten feet away by the furs. It seemed that he had been staring at them, lost in thought, but now his eyes were on the bare-chested Kurama, his expression almost . . . pained. Kurama gazed back at him, confused.

"What?" he asked bluntly.

The bat demon jumped, as though startled at being caught staring. "Nothing," he responded quickly, "Only thinking. Are we finished for tonight?"

Kurama spent another few seconds staring dubiously at him before nodding, drawing the tunic over his head and tugging it into place. "Yes," he said coolly, "I will spend the rest of the remaining hours studying those prints and going through my nursery. You may stay here tonight, as usual-"

"No!"

Kurama stopped mid-phrase, turning startled eyes up to his companion at the sudden outburst. The other demon's ears reddened slightly. "I mean . . . that's alright. I can sleep in my cave tonight - I need to get my own things together, anyway."

Kurama glared suspiciously at the bat demon, golden eyes narrowed. That was possibly the weakest excuse for an overreaction that he had ever heard from his partner; something was definitely bothering the other youkai. He had been odd like this earlier, too. Kurama almost opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, before remembering that it was really none of his concern. "Alright . . ." he said instead, slowly. "Very well then. I want you back here by no later than two hours past sunset, though. We have a lot of work to do before we leave tomorrow morning. Be sure to bring your cloak as well as your scythes."

The other demon paled (if that was possible, considering his already white skin). "We're leaving that soon?" He looked none too happy about the fact. "And we'll be traveling during the _day_?"

"Of course," Kurama replied, a little irritated with his partner's reluctance. "The fort is nearly twenty hours away, and that will only be if we sprint for half of the journey. We will have to travel the following night, too. Then we will rest with what time we have left, and strike the final night that the platter is in the fort."

The bat demon winced noticeably. "Isn't that cutting it a little close?"

Kurama snorted. "So long as we get it, I don't care."

Kuronue sighed, lowering his head slightly. He spent a quiet moment with his eyes closed, apparently lost in thought over something. Then he lifted his head, nodding slightly. "Very well," he said, "I'll take my leave now." He bowed his head in a farewell, then turned and made his way to the curtain of vines and flowers, passing through them and out of sight into the hallway beyond.

The silver fox watched him as he left, shaking his head slightly as he did. How strange . . . he could hardly remember a time when he had seen the bat so out of sorts.

It was then, suddenly, that the thought of the piece of paper tucked into his sash came back to him, the reason for this completely unknown. Glad to have something to take his mind off of his partner, Kurama reached back into his sash . . . and found that the paper was gone.

Surprised, he glanced around, thinking that maybe it had come loose and fallen when he had removed his shirt; but it was nowhere in sight. He even sorted through the miscellaneous pieces of paper left over from the decoy papers, but it was not among them, either. It must have fallen from his sash during their walk, then, and he hardly had time to find it . . .

Disappointed, he spent a few moments pouting (he had wanted to read that!) before turning with a sigh to the blueprints on the table. At least he still had _something_ to study.

So, perhaps everything was not turning out _exactly_ as he had envisioned. He could still pull one magnificent theft out of what he had . . . and he planned on doing exactly that.

-

**A/N**: ARGH! Look at that - I finally get the story up and rolling . . . and then my focus immediately switches to one of my other (unreleased) fics. -.- Figures as much. I just spent the whole amount of time between the last update and this one working on the fic I have lined up to go out after this one, which is an H/K (I can practically hear my sisters cheering).

So . . . /twitches nervously/ Was that opening scene too much? The flashback, I mean? Sometimes I feel like I'm walking that fine line between drama and soap opera (with all my metaphors and flowery descriptions and what-not), so if I accidentally fall over, feel free to tell me. I'll take my vicious editing scissors and snip it up into something a little more real. ;)

But I'm finally caught up with the chapters that I have and haven't written, so I can answer comments in a current timeline! (don't feel like you have to understand what that meant)

**To HieiWannabe**: Thank you for the e-mail! I'm glad that my notes seem to have finally started making sense . . . Hope to hear from you soon about this chapter!

**To Kabuki Malice**: Hello Amari, dear - wazzup? Thank you for the very sweet comments (I love writing Youko - he's so deliciously evil). YES I want that picture! It's sooooooooo awesome - I'll put it on my website, and plug it, and hype it, and . . . /sees family members staring at her and blushes/ Er - yeah. Yes, I want the pic.

**To Dragon's Emerald**: I'm sorry that I haven't responded to your reviews in the past four A/Ns, but at that time I was scrambling to fix some mistakes and do a bunch of work - the most I could manage were my responses to HieiWannabe. First off, I gotta say . . . WOW. O.O It looks like I've got someone who really likes the story - I've been deeply honored by your comments and compliments. /bows/ I'm extremely happy that you noticed so many of the details - them acting differently when they're older, the character that I've tried to give to Kuronue, etc... Yes, you were right about the prewritten chapters - all four were already written when I posted the first chapter, but I spent roughly a week posting them all. I wanted to get as many comments as I could get, so I could do as many edits as possible before I continued with chapters five and six. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer for chapters from now on, but on the other hand, I'll be able to do responses like this now, so I'm pretty happy with the trade off. I really hope that you'll keep reading, and thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews!

**To Tikia Thundaren**: SWEETIE! Where have you BEEN? You didn't review me for forever! I missed you. ;.; Glad that you like the story so far - you know I love having the ego stroked, right? Human that I am, after all. Hey, hey - try and make Tyries review me, ne? She's been living under a rock! Poke her a bit, maybe she'll come out. :P And when is the next chapter of YOUR story coming out, ne? Ne? I want to read!

**To Pat**: Hello! Thank you for reviewing so many chapters of the story (and for stroking my ego so thoroughly XD) - I'm so glad that you like the fic so far! I hope this chapter held up to standards. O.o Feel free to ask any questions you like, and I'll be happy to answer them!

**To shadow dragon**: Hello to you as well! Thanks a bundle for telling me what the tilde is called (I'll be able to use that in the blistering e-mail I update every day that will never actually be sent to FFN :P), and I hope to keep hearing from you as the story is updated. Any reviews I get will always be appreciated (because I'm a sucker for them).

I'm going to do these responses for as long as I possibly can (until these A/N's get so insanely huge that even I decide to cut them short), so feel free to ask as many questions as you want!

Peace,  
TD

**FANON/CANON**

1) "Even other youko seemed to lack something in comparison." - I think that kitsune are the more energetic, trickster-ish type demons, whereas the youko exude the, "Worship me, I'm beautiful," sort of energy.

2) I will never, ever start writing a fic without doing the proper research beforehand again. EVER. I finally have my information straight /sighs heavily/ and I've found that I've dug myself into a deep, messy hole by confusing youko and kitsune in the first chapter, and now I have to try and climb back out of it. I know that none of you nailed me for it, but being the obsessive that I am, the slightest mention of a name confusion (thank you HieiWannabe!) sent my on a crusade to find what I'd done wrong . . . and now I gotta fix it.

From what I've been able to gather (from reading fanfiction, doing a little internet research and checking Yoshihiro Togashi's descriptions), I have now come up with two different ideas as to what youko are (the one that's probably correct, and my own mistaken idea).

I'm currently reading an AWESOME fic called The Best Defense, by JoIsBishMyoga, which is infinitely better than this story (go read it!). Jo's theory (the one that's probably correct) is this; that kitsune are spiritual creatures (not demons), and that youko are their demonic cousins. So, I can't use kitsune as a description for Kurama, because he simply isn't one. The way that I first came to understand it (before I found out about the correct theory) was simply that kitsune are the demonic version of your every day fox, and that youko were just a stronger, slightly different version of kitsune (more powerful, more beautiful, etc.).

Finding out that I was wrong, however, was only the beginning of my research. I then moved on to Google, where I researched Japanese Gods (specifically Inari), and found out exactly how mistaken I was in my theory. In the simplest of descriptions, kitsune are the sacred messengers of Inari; there are thirteen types of kitsune, the loyal, Inari following ones (considered the good kind) being called myobu (sometimes they're called celestial kitsune, too), and the ones hunted by the myobu for not serving Inari being called nogitsune. The kind that I think exist in Togashi's world (the kind that must have been banished to the makai when the keikai was formed) were the spirit, or koryo kitsune, which are considered to be evil. Youko are a specific Togashi creation, and are, as JoIsBishMyoga says, probably cousins to the koryo.

So I can't use kitsune as a description. /sighs/ Oh well. I've gone back and fixed the first four chapters already, though, so the mistake is no longer a problem, and I will of course refrain from calling him a kitsune in the future. /shrugs/ So . . . there you have it. I repeat - thank you HieiWannabe for giving the comment that made me go on this quest, otherwise I would have just blundered on for many more chapters. I'll be removing this note with the next update, since it's not all that important . . . but for now, thank you for reading. :)

3) "After all, the youko had taken over his bed, leaving him nowhere but the rough pedestal to sleep." - If this really had been the case (which it wasn't, as we all know), Kuronue could have technically slept in Kurama's throne . . . but who here honestly thinks he would take that kind of a chance? Kurama obviously doesn't, as he didn't even consider it as a possibility.

4) There is one more important thing that I changed in chapter three; that being that white is Inari's sacred color, not silver. I've already fixed the mistake, so if you would like to go back and read, once again, I urge you strongly to do it. Thank you all! Readers/reviewers make my day. :)

5) "As a cousin of the kitsune, a very small amount of his youki was spiritual." - Made up, and made up entirely for this story. O.o I don't know if it's even possible . . . but why would he enjoy stealing hidden techniques of all kinds if he couldn't use some of them? That's my excuse, anyway.

6) "And going through my nursery." - A plant nursery, where he keeps young species of plants for later use. That's right, people - there are more rooms in his den that I didn't tell you about it chapter one. ;) Just wait until chapter eight . . .


	6. Chapter Six: The Game is Presented

**A/N**: This chapter picks up where chapter four left off.

Before I kick it off this time, I want to apologize for two things.  
1) The lateness of this chapter.  
2) The crappiness of this chapter.  
I will inevitably come back and rewrite it after I've put it up, but for now, I'm afraid this is the best my brain would spit out. Chapter seven, on the other hand, I think is going to be my strongest chapter yet, so yay! Can anybody say weird dreams? XD

And, just incase anybody is interested, this will probably be my last post on FFN. All this crap about the lack of dashes for scene breaks and the rule against musical quotes had finally rubbed me just the wrong way. And by 'last post' I don't mean to say that it will be my last update on FFN, I mean to say that I'm probably going to get removed before I can get the next chapter out, because I refuse to take out my quotes. If you're interested in continuing the fic, it's also up on w w w . media miner . org.

Oh, and huge thanks to my sister Tyries for editing this confusing SOB! Wuv wu. XD

_(BREAK)_

**Playing the Game**  
- Tenika Dargan

_(BREAK)_

_I've discovered a way to stay friends forever-  
There's really nothing to it.  
I simply tell you what to do  
And you do it!_

_**"Friendship,"** Shel Silverstein_

_(BREAK)_

Chapter Six: The Game is Presented

_(BREAK)_

Youko hadn't had this much fun in centuries.

He had been trying to decide on a way to get that damn seed for nearly four months now - and here, amazingly, the solution fell right into his lap. When had he ever looked a gift from Inari in the eye and sent it away? This dark youkai was perfect; naturally fast, powerful, and inexperienced enough to fall into Kurama's game without any trouble.

That was the difficulty with playing such games; as often as not, the other party didn't want to join in the fun, and then all Kurama could do was kill them. It just wasn't as pleasurable as he wanted it to be. He had come to find that the younger demons -the ones who had been raised in isolation or ignorance, with little idea of the kind of manipulations that could be used by older youkai- were the most fun to play with. This particular creature was, in every respect, perfect: brought up as a minority demon, probably in seclusion, with nothing but a parent or friend's advice to carry him through his life. He would, if all the labels fit, be simple enough to prevail over. There were exceptions, of course, but he doubted that this youkai would be one.

Kurama hadn't had a partner for several long centuries; he did have to admit that fact to himself. But really, where could the harm be in training a new one? He had liked them well enough before. They provided entertainment on the more boring evenings, at least. He would have to spend a while training this one (he seemed, despite his young mind frame, to be very intelligently stubborn), but it would probably be worth the effort in the end. If it turned out to be a wasted venture, he could simply ruin the other and send him on his way. Or kill him.

Most intriguing of all things about this 'Kuronue,' though, was that he refused to be afraid of Kurama, refused to bow his head and cower. Dealing with that sort of stubbornness would be even better than obtaining the rewards of an extra set of hands - it wasn't every day that the youko got to teach another demon exactly what fear tasted like.

How much would the other fight, though? That was something that he, unfortunately, could not really predict. Youkai actions were sometimes surprising, even to one who had been alive as long as he had. As much as he was inclined to typecast him, this bat demon might turn out to be far more tenacious than even he had considered. He would have to be careful . . .

But, even though no decisions had been made yet - it was thrilling to think that he might have a partner again.

_(BREAK)_

Kurama felt a sheerly pleased laugh roll from his throat even as the bat demon fell, arms wind milling as he yelled in shock. After a few seconds of this the other finally spread his wings, catching himself and jerking upwards with a loud growl. As the red arms of the desu tree began to move and hiss slowly, the heavy sounds of acid filling the air around them, Kuronue turned a tight, spiraling circle to regain his balance, shouting as he did, "You _BASTARD_--!"

"I would suggest that you defend yourself, Kuronue!" Kurama laughed, cupping his hands around his mouth to better carry the sound. One of his eyebrows lifted in a grin as he noticed the heads turning suddenly to look at the bat demon, and, unable to help himself, mischievously added, "Sometime soon!"

"How am I supposed to fight without a _weapon_--?" cried Kuronue as he finished his spiral, almost tipping onto one side as his still stiff left wing stuck in movement. His eyes were wide as he stared at all of the fang-filled heads, lined up in row upon row as they focused with waking comprehension on their prey.

Kurama was tempted to remind the bat of the fact that he was, after all, a _demon_, which of course meant that he would have youki . . . but it was more fun to watch him panic. Besides, he had something better for the other youkai.

In his hand he still held the scythe blade that Kuronue had dropped, and pulling his arm back, he spun it briefly on its cord and then threw it toward the bat demon. The dark youkai barely caught it (he apparently was still very stiff), jerking his arm up and snatching the silver snake chain out of midair. The scythe snapped to a sudden halt, and Kuronue directed his head around to blink at Kurama, obviously surprised.

The silver youko winked at him and ducked out of sight.

Turning, Kuronue found himself just in time to witness all of the heads rushing forward at once, and he couldn't help the terrified yelp that escaped his mouth as he dove to avoid them.

_(BREAK)_

Kurama didn't have any time to worry about how the bat demon was doing; if the youkai couldn't hold his own against the tree, then he would have to be done with his job in time to run away. He wasn't stupid or vain enough to believe that he could deal with a plant as old as this one, and frankly, he didn't feel like testing his luck; four tails wasn't enough to wager against death.

Jumping from the lip of the chasm, he landed with a thief's lightness on one of the many large red arms of the tree, finding that it was more than large enough to travel along. He had to make up for the constant shifting of the plant as it tried to catch Kuronue, but he didn't doubt his abilities there. Darting down the length of the arm, he jumped to another branch and continued on his path to the heart of the tree.

This would have to work; he wasn't going to get a second chance of this kind.

_Desu seeds develop in the center of the female variant of the plant,_ he repeated again and again in thought, recalling as much of what he had learned about the tree as he could, eyes fixed on his target. _The heads growing from the middle point out are for protection, to keep the seeds from youkai (such as myself) who might find them useful . . ._ So, in other words, this was where he needed to be. Jumping onto one of the few inactive, immature branches, he caught sight of Kuronue as he twisted in midair, a bright silver line following him as he swung his arms, effectively beheading one of the many branches rushing towards him.

Kurama hesitated for a moment to appreciate the dark youkai (who was doing quite a masterful job of defending himself, beheading, ducking and maneuvering with surprising grace), silently congratulating himself on the excellent choice. Why hadn't he considered a youkai capable of flight before? It made the distraction much better, and gave him all the more time.

The bat demon was doing a startlingly good job, too. Even Kurama hadn't expected him to be able to kill some of the branches while he was trying to avoid them, and it made his choice to consider him as a partner (if he survived) seem all the better. If he could have someone who would kill all the opponents, while he went and stole whatever he wanted . . . well, his thieving would be much faster than it had been in the past, and twice as easy.

Crouching to continue his journey along the branch, he was stopped by a sudden shout from Kuronue: so, looking up, his eyebrows lifted in shock as he found the other diving towards him. Incredulous, he opened his mouth on the word, "What--!" and then immediately had to flatten himself against the branch he was kneeling on to avoid being sliced in half as Kuronue swung his scythe around.

Properly incensed (what in the seven _hells_ did the bat think he was doing?), Kurama lifted his head to glower up at the dark youkai furiously. "What do you--" he began angrily, only to be interrupted by the bat demon's snarled reply.

"Get moving!" Kuronue cut around sharply as he said this, calling the next words over his shoulder; "And try to be thankful! You owe me now!"

Confused, Kurama looked over his own shoulder . . . and caught sight of a falling, headless branch of the desu tree, obviously freshly killed. _Was it going to attack me?_ Analytical mind instantly putting two and two together, it hit Kurama barely a second later that he really _was_ in debt - and angrier than ever, he leapt back to his feet.

"Come back here!" he yelled after the retreating form of Kuronue. "I refuse to return you anything for that! Take it back!"

"Yes, I'll just reattach its head! That should be _simple_!" The response was infuriatingly sarcastic.

"You know what I mean!" Kurama hissed venomously back. "I _refuse_ to be indebted!"

"Deal with it!" yelled the bat demon as he successfully beheaded another branch, drawing farther away from the silver character.

"No!" came Kurama's indignant reply. "Come back here and revoke your attack!"

"_Fuck_ you!" Kuronue shouted in return, apparently fed up with the exchange. He then refused to answer any other reproaches from the pale youko, who eventually gave up with a bitter snarl.

How _dare_ he act with such presumption? Kurama kept on glowering as he continued on his way toward the center of the plant, jumping a little more stiffly than before. No low class, mercenary status half-thief had any right to say that _he_ owed _anything_! Inari, what he would give to simply kill the impudent demon . . . but he really didn't want to have to dispose of this one to keep from paying the favor - not after such a brilliant game had just hatched in his mind. Kurama bit his lip lightly. It wasn't fair.

And how had he missed a branch sneaking up behind him? He couldn't have been that absorbed in his observation. It had looked young, just past maturity . . . its energy must have been too low. It must have escaped his senses. He refused to admit that he might not have been paying full attention. His life had _not_ just been saved.

But it had. And, as he brooded further, he realized that it was exactly the same kind of trick that he might pull, were an opportunity of the same kind to present itself. As a matter of fact, he could recall _several_ occasions where he had put others in debt on purpose. More than several, actually . . . now that he thought about it, the trick had been one of his favorites in the past, when he'd dealt with other demons on a more regular (and personal) basis. He didn't stop to think that maybe Kuronue had just done the deed, and then considered the possibilities afterwards: instead he supposed that, in one way or another, he was meeting a youkai similar himself- only younger and much less experienced.

He had already determined years earlier, however, that as another demon he would probably hate himself; so he felt quite comfortable and justified in his quiet seething.

Kurama really couldn't stay angry for long, though. The task at hand was much more pressing, and he put his grievances to the back of his mind in favor of concentrating on his goal. The movements of the branches had become much more erratic as the desu tree woke fully from its sleep, diving after the stubborn prey with much greater speed than before. It was growing more difficult to keep up with its shifting, and he soon found that he was having to struggle just to keep the ground he had gained.

He was set back almost a full twenty feet when one branch (which had looked stable from a distance) gave a violent heave when he landed on it, tossing him down to the lower branches deeper in the chasm. He barely caught himself on another branch, hoisting himself up lightly and regaining his footing. Gritting his teeth, he began to fight his way back up, determined to reach the seeds even if it killed him.

Well . . . maybe not if it killed him.

Kuronue looked to be having a much more difficult time as well; he was expending all of his energy dodging, unable to do anything but defend. His scythe had been tucked beneath his arm, as he had no more time to spend on beheading the plant's many branches. Kurama couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't speeding up, blurring, as he had with the caravan, but he didn't really have the option of stopping to ask the dark youkai.

It seemed to take an age to finally reach the lip of the center of the tree- one long, agonizing millennia of fighting against the angry red monoliths, each of which seemed to try and get in his way on purpose. In reality, though, he knew that the expenditure of time had doubtlessly been much less than he imagined. It always felt that way when he had to work hard; time seemed to rush by, to flow endlessly, when only a minute had actually passed.

Now, standing there, triumphant and smiling, he looked down into the center of the plant-- and again, he flew right in the face of his senses without a second thought, coming to a dead stop and staring with unadulterated surprise and wonder.

It was like a miniature red valley: the rouge-colored walls sloped sharply down, nearly thirty feet in length, effectively closing in those too weak to jump a distance that great. These walls, like the branches, appeared puckered and aged, bright red at the top and nearly black when comprising the floor of the unusual formation. The gradual fading effect gave the impression that one stood on the horizon, ready and eager to jump into the darkening night sky. The only missing pieces were the stars.

Dotting the floor of this ridiculously well guarded haven were small pale purple pods (like domes whose centers had been grabbed and pulled, so that the entire thing stretched and became pointed), each resting peacefully in the shadows. These were exactly what he had been looking for. Smirking, Kurama took a leap, ready to drop directly into the center of the stage and take his prize.

Jumping that far was a mistake. He had forgotten about the swinging arms of the plant above him, and it wasn't until he looked to the side that he noticed the trunk of one rushing toward him. The head had not caught sight of him (it was actually going after Kuronue), but the fast-moving bulk of the branch slammed into Kurama, knocking him straight from midair with a surprising amount of force.

Fortunately, Kurama was not pushed out of the center of the plant. He hit one of the red walls instead, rolling the entire way down and coming to rest in a very indignant huff. Nursing only a bruised ego (his entrance had been _ruined_--), he hopped quickly back to his feet and resolved to get out of the tree as soon as possible, making his way quickly toward the nearest pod.

There were four sections to each one, triangular in shape. These sections met at the top, making a pointed, black-spotted dome that was as high as Kurama's knee. The edges of the sections were easy to see, as there were four obvious grooves where each of the thick shells met. Kurama wedged his fingers and claws into the grooves at the very top, and with a heave, pried at the stubborn pod until he felt it begin to give way.

It came apart with the sound of one's foot coming out of deep mud, heavy and reluctant. Kurama made a face, but continued to pull. The insides of the shell were coated in a thick red substance that dripped out onto the floor of the valley (this liquid was responsible for the noise), and the youko, not knowing exactly what it might do, was careful not to touch it.

And there, lined up in neat row upon neat row on the ground beneath the shell, were the tiny brown-green seeds, each of which nurtured the potential to grow into one of the most deadly plants in the whole of the makai. Kurama found himself shaking his head as he looked at them, amazed at the effort it had taken to get something so small.

He wasted as little time as possible, pulling one of the protective sections entirely off of the pod and carefully taking hold of one of the seeds. He misjudged the amount of strength needed in the beginning, and the first one burst between his fingers. Frowning, he shook off the remains and tried again. His luck with the second seed was much better, and as soon as he was sure that it was whole and undamaged, he tucked it away into his hair and rose back to his feet.

Then he turned to his next obstacle - the climb back out of the plant.

Thirty feet wasn't really that far . . . he was more worried about the temperamental arms swinging around above. The last thing he wanted was to be knocked out of the air in such a humiliating way a second time. It was bad enough in the first place that the bat demon might have seen; he wasn't about to offer the sight again.

Darting over the plant wall, he drew a deep breath, crouched, and allowed his powerful legs to uncoil, sending him easily back to the rim of the plant with controlled grace (and a small burst of youki). Cautious, he made sure to adjust the strength of his leap, trying instead to aim for the very lip. His pains paid off, and seconds later his hands were grasping nimbly at the top of the wall, drawing him up and over.

From there he jumped back to the frenetically waving arms, body snapping with excitement - he had finally gotten it! It wasn't every day that he managed such a satisfying thievery. And to top it all off, he had his new little game as well. A dark smirk lit his face at this thought; nothing was more enjoyable than having a new plaything.

But then he found himself frowning slightly, glancing into the velvety black sky above, crisscrossed again and again with the shifting pattern of red branches, in search of the bat demon. He hoped that the youkai hadn't been killed already. After all, there would be no fun in that, and it always was a shame to see such promise so easily annihilated.

But his curiosity was unnecessary; Kuronue, still swiftly darting back and forth, up and down and around, looked entirely untouched (if a little ragged around the edges). Somehow he had managed to wrap the snake chain of his scythe around his stomach, so he arms were free for better control in flight. His defensive journey had taken him a great deal higher into the air, giving Kurama quite the advantage; most of the branches no longer had any chance of noticing him, with their heads turned up to follow their prey.

Greatly pleased, Kurama darted back along the branches, finding it infinitely easier to get back to the edge of the chasm than it had been to get to the seeds. It seemed that the rolls and the dips threw him toward the grass and trees surrounding the demon plant, perhaps as an intrinsic part of any of the tree's attacks.

So, barely five minutes later, he had managed to return to the grassy ridge, which was still littered with the vines he had cut from the bat demon barely a half-hour before. And thinking of the bat demon . . .

"Kuronue!" he called, turning and frowning up into the sky. High above, he could barely make out the other demon's head turning down towards him in response to his voice. "I've finished! You can stop!"

Kuronue's response was instantaneous; without so much as a word of reply, he folded his wings to his back and dove toward the earth again, moving in the direction of the woods. To Kurama's dismay, the branches followed him, and the fox ended up having to beat a hasty retreat into the woods to avoid being seen, barely remembering to grab onto the leather bags he had brought along with the bat demon before he did.

As he dodged through the pervasive trunks, hardly feeling the incline of the earth as he began to move uphill once more, he heard trees at the edge of the woods exploding or being torn from the earth as the destructive branches pursued Kuronue, who he assumed was gliding above the trees as he retreated. Cursing -he had forgotten that the branches could grow longer to chase prey- he sped up a little more, hoping that the entire venture wouldn't be ruined after all.

A crash above him sent his pulse racing for a brief second, before the darkly clad form of the bat tumbled haphazardly through the canopy; apparently he had chosen a rather graceless landing in favor of getting out of sight. Twigs and leaves rained down as he hit the ground with a thump, instantly leaping back to his feet and beginning to run, an expression of absolute terror and concentration on his face. Kurama couldn't help a somewhat amused smirk as he drew abreast of the other, before he realized that the trees behind them still sounded like they were being uprooted, and focused again on getting away as fast as he could.

It took nearly ten minutes of non-stop running for the tree to get bored and fall back, though neither of the demons stopped immediately. Both waited until the sounds of destruction had faded into the distance: one cautious, and the other too focused on surviving to think of stopping.

Eventually Kurama slowed to a jog, and then a walk as they entered one of the many treeless clearings in the area. The open expanse was now barely lit by moonlight, and seemed almost disturbingly quiet when compared to the noise they had just come from.

Kuronue halted at around the same time as the fox, first leaning over and placing his hands on his knees, gasping harshly for breath, and then collapsing bonelessly into the waist length grass, rolling onto his back and panting with his mouth wide open. Kurama thought he heard him gasp, "Never again . . .!" and smiled even as he tried to regain his own breath.

Some minutes later, once he was sufficiently recovered (and once he felt like he could manage to smirk and purr without having to cough for breath in the middle of speaking), Kurama glanced slyly over at the other, who had also managed to garner some control over his breathing. Well: that had gone very well in the end. The other had passed his preliminary test; he was worthy of perhaps becoming the youko's partner. Most demons were never granted such an honor. It had turned out to be a good thing after all, then, that he had stolen the thief's prey in the caravan-

Abruptly a wide smile lit his face, as happily he realized that the other had owed him something right from the beginning. Kuronue saving his life was adequate retribution for the theft- and it meant that he no longer had anything to return!

More satisfied than ever, he folded his arms smoothly, dropping his two bags onto the ground as he did. "Well," he said, breaking the silence for the first time since they had stopped. The other twitched lightly at the sound of his voice, but said nothing. "Congratulations; you survived."

"Y-you bastard . . ." the other choked weakly; Kurama grinned. "I can't believe you did that . . ."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Barely!" came the indignant cry of response. Kuronue sat up then, glaring darkly at Kurama. "You're lucky I'm so agile when I'm flying, otherwise you wouldn't have made it."

Kurama lifted a curious eyebrow, amused. "You think?" Kuronue's baleful glare spoke volumes of response, and Kurama chuckled silently for a moment before remembering one of his earlier confusions. "Why did you not speed up? You moved more than quickly enough while you were attacking the caravan. Why didn't you use that attack?"

Kuronue frowned slightly, beginning to unwind his scythe's cordfrom around his waist as he responded. "Because it's a special attack. I can only use it for . . ." he almost specified the number of minutes, then seemed to realize how stupid that would be, and said instead, "for several minutes."

He finished unwrapping his weapon, and was still for a moment before he suddenly put his face in both of his hands, his broad back heaving with a heavy sigh. Kurama noticed for the first time that the vest he wore did not cover his shoulder blades or even upper back, and he watched what must have been insanely powerful muscles shifting beneath the bat demon's white skin with some fascination.

"Enma save me . . ." the bat breathed shakily into his palms, shaking his head slightly. "I can't believe I survived." Abruptly he lifted his head, frowning at Kurama. "I suppose you got what you wanted?"

Smirking, Kurama removed the seed from his hair and held it in view, so that the bat could see it. Kuronue eyed it emotionlessly for several seconds before nodding and frowning down at the ground. "Well . . ." he murmured. "At least you still owe me. You can't go tying me up anymore . . ."

Kurama grinned unashamedly. "That is where you are wrong," he said pleasantly. The other looked up at him, violet eyes widening in incredulity. "I'm afraid that I've just remembered . . . _you_ stole from me, and so were in my debt, from the moment of our acquaintance. So, we're simply even now."

He watched with delight as Kuronue's face grew suddenly dismayed, before the other lowered his head into one of his hands again with a sigh. Since he seemed less than inclined to respond, Kurama instead watched the red gem of the necklace glittering against his milky collarbones (obviously forgotten), and smiled as he remembered that he had been the one to put it there.

Another question rose in his mind at this. "You were quite upset when I stole your necklace earlier. I assume it has some importance?"

Kuronue jerked very slightly at the first word breathed about the necklace; seconds later his head rose, and the hand it had rested in immediately went to grasp the red gem tightly. "Yes," he murmured softly. "Yes, it's important." He glared slightly at Kurama. "And I won't tell you why, either, before you ask."

Ears flickering back slightly, Kurama gave his most charming smile. "I'm wounded. But I wasn't going to ask." He smirked as Kuronue shrank slightly, apparently realizing how petulant he had sounded.

Kurama did not particularly care at the moment, though.Bigger things were about to happen. Power was not all that he wanted in a partner; intelligence (but only the right amount) was an important factor, and instinct. So, a bit of a verbal test was needed, to round things out. The tricky part was coming up with inquiries that would give him information without being obvious.

"Actually, I'm more curious about _you_," he said to start, and the other looked at him with some surprise. Kurama regarded him coolly, careful not to smile. "You interest me. What is a bat demon doing so far from his home? I assume you come from the east." And this really was one of his curiosities- that, and whether or not the bat was expected back.

Kuronue frowned lightly at him, his hand twitching around the necklace. "Of course I come from the jungle," he said, sounding mildly irritated. "Do you think I could have been born in this cold, dry climate? (Kurama had to bite back a smile at these words; he had chosen this climate because it was warm, after all) No. I was born in the Mitsurin district."

Now, that was a surprise . . . "Mitsurin?" Kurama repeated curiously, and the bat demon nodded. "How odd. I was there once, collecting mimosa. I never saw any bat demons in those jungles."

Kuronue cocked his head to the side, frowning. "When did you come?"

"At least two centuries ago."

The bat demon nodded coolly. "We had moved to another district by that time. We didn't return there until only a century ago." He frowned slightly. "And that turned out to be a mistake anyway."

Kurama blinked at him, moving one of his slippered feet back and forth in the grass slightly and listening to the rustle. "And why is that?"

Oddly, Kuronue seemed to grow slightly bitter, nearly glaring at Kurama. "Surely you know that we're hunted," he answered. "We . . . spread disease more rapidly than other demon species because we live in such close proximity. Other youkai kill us because of it, to keep us from starting another plague." His face grew slightly confused. "But you have to have known that."

"I did," Kurama admitted, halting his foot and drawing his left knee to his chest instead. "Was your colony wiped out, then? Was that why you came here?"

"No . . . to both," Kuronue replied, a smirk of his own painting his lips very vaguely. "There was an attack that night, yes . . . but I left because I didn't belong. I'm not like other bat demons. I can't stand colony life. Solitude suits me much better. (Kurama did smile here; this was exactly what he was looking for.) My family was just too large - it felt like I was suffocating sometimes."

So, he had indeed left permanently. Now curious about what had just been said, however, Kurama tilted one ear back. "You had many siblings, then?"

Kuronue snorted softly, his eyes taking on a far away look. "Too many. I . . ." But he paused suddenly, his face darkening. "Why are you asking me this? You can't be interested in my life. I've heard too much about you to believe that."

Inwardly, Kurama grinned. He had been waiting for the other to ask this - and to his pleasure, he had taken a good amount of time to do so; not acting suspicious immediately, but realizing after only a short exchange that he was being questioned needlessly. Just the right level of intelligence, it seemed.

"I'm bored," he said lightly in response, telling a half-lie that he knew that the other demon would accept. "I have no desire to kill you; as I said before, you interest me." When the other still looked reluctant to continue, Kurama sighed delicately. "Will you at least finish the sentence that you began? It bothers me when others do not finish what they've started."

Kuronue still looked unhappy about continuing, but finally, he hesitantly said, "I had twenty-four brothers and sisters. Most of them died before they were twenty, but I had them at some point. Like I said, too many."

Even Kurama was taken aback by this number. He had heard of families of twelve, even families of sixteen, but into the twenties in a humanoid variant of youkai? That was an inordinately large amount. "Did you have two mothers?"

Kuronue smirked lightly, forgetting to be suspicious in favor of reveling in Kurama's rare surprise; apparently he had a slight sadistic streak, too. "Two _fathers_. My mother had a child every ten years. I was from her first mate, along with eleven others. Half of them died before she chose another mate, though. The rest were all only half siblings to me, but that doesn't really make a difference when you all live together at the same time."

"Where were you in your brood? Were you older or younger?" Kurama was genuinely curious now; he had the basics, but the more information he had, the better he could judge the bat's character- and he didn't know how much more he would be able to garner from the other demon in the future, so better to gather it now.

"I was the fourth born." Kuronue paused briefly, and then added, "By the time I had turned ten, my oldest sibling was forty."

Kurama nodded, trying to imagine such an age difference- and then realizing that he couldn't even imagine how having a sibling would feel. His own mother had been extremely picky; he had been her first and last. Though, he always thought he might have killed his own brothers or sisters in the end anyway, so there would have been no point to their existence in the first place. Perhaps his mother had known that . . .

A breeze whistled musically by, and turning his ears, he caught the faint whisper of his trees conversing; barely five minutes til the moon set. He wanted to be back in his den by then- he was tired, after all, not being a nocturnal creature by habit. But if he did choose to take Kuronue as a partner, he would have to shift his body clock around to work with the bat'sobstacle of non-existent day vision. Well . . . he hadn't thought of that yet, actually. Would it be too great a hassle?

"Well," he said after the silence had rustled along for several seconds, deciding that he would think about it later, after he had rested. He had nearly everything he needed now; the other had proved to be relatively intelligent, and just unbalanced enough for Kurama's uses. There seemed to be a relative experience gap, but that could be breached easily enough. It was time to wrap things up. "You said that you left on a night when you were attacked. Was your home destroyed?"

The bat demon stiffened visibly, the stark white-and-black line of his shoulders becoming immediately rigid. "I . . . I wasn't there to see the extent of the damage. I know that they were jaguar youkai, though. They didn't like that we had returned, after they had just run us off two centuries before. But no, our home wasn't destroyed." His face had grown suddenly expressionless and far away, as though he were revisiting the whole thing with no small amount of bitterness. Kurama found it all very intriguing.

"So what caused you to leave?" He settled his right arm onto his knee, resting his chin in his large white palm lazily and allowing his tail to stir the grass behind him.

"Well . . ." The other hesitated. "Well, most of them died. And my mother and father."

Kurama blinked, startled. How odd . . . the bat demon hadn't carried the air of one who had seen a great deal of death- at least not among creatures that had been close in some way. "So you were devoid of family then? That is why you left?"

Kuronue began to nod and agree, but abruptly stopped. "No," he amended, "there were still five of them. But I left anyway; I didn't _have_ a reason to do it, except that I couldn't stand any of them. Even Gyoukou, who was understanding when the others weren't." A smile flickered across his face. "But I should have been grateful, instead of despising her. A reaction like that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

The silver thief smiled pleasantly, shaking his head and absently enjoying the feel of his hair moving over his bare shoulders. "No. You really are quite imperfect in mind." He gave a noncommittal shrug at the other's vaguely hurt expression. "I'm not bothered by the fact. I have met other demons that grasp at emotions such as regret, as your expression seems to say that you do. You must simply understand that I am not one of them."

Stark ivory teeth were revealed as the bat's impossibly pale lips, almost bloodless in appearance, drew back in a cold grin. "You're as much of a bastard as they say, aren't you?"

A single, delicate white eyebrow was arched in response. "Can they think of nothing more creative than simply 'bastard' anymore? I'll admit, I'm disappointed, if that is the case."

Silence filled the air for several measuring seconds, Kuronue fixing the youko with an oddly searching gaze. Kurama, amused, held himself perfectly still. Was _he_ now being tested, in an extremely tactless sort of way?

"You're charming . . ." Kuronue said slowly, and a smile stole across Kurama's face against his will, the familiar blush of pride at being complimented swelling pleasantly in his chest. His mother had groomed him to be admired, after all. "But I'd be a fool to be drawn in by that alone. Charm is only ever the surface of anything."

Kurama continued to smile, though inwardly he frowned rather darkly. If Kuronue saw such things already, it would be harder to manipulate him. Perhaps this demon wouldn't be as easy to make a game of as he'd first thought. Still, he always had other options . . . "Yes, of course," he murmured back, covering the second of hesitation with his lowered tone. "But even charm has its place."

He stood then, flashing a suddenly calm smirk down at the now inquisitive bat demon. "So, we have spoken. Perhaps we see each other in different lighting now. But regardless, I don't like any demons of any kind, under any circumstances, sneaking around my lands. So, you may either leave now," he allowed his smirk to widen as Kuronue stared at him, obviously trying to fathom where he was going with these words, "or you may follow, and you can see if there is anything beneath the charm. I only walk in one direction, though, and that is straight ahead; I won't have you turning around halfway through the journey, should you choose to accompany me. I can't stand cowards."

So he turned and walked away.

There was no point in stopping to see the other's expression, or waiting for a reaction, or even in tilting his ears back to determine whether he was following or not. He knew that his carefully worded offer would be either irresistible, or enough of a warning to drive the bat off, before he entered a world he couldn't survive in. Kurama had not spoken a single word that he didn't mean; he really couldn't stand cowards, and it was very unlikely that he would be willing to pardon the other for any sort of weak-willed afterthoughts. He didn't need fools for partners- not that the bat would be partner material for quite a while, anyway. He wanted to know more about him before anything truly final was decided.

Kurama knew that he was being hasty with this decision- he didn't even _need_ a partner, after all. He had moved beyond that necessity some centuries before. But quite frankly, he was bored, and this was the first entertaining distraction to wander along for quite a while; if he woke the next day and thought that his offer had been rash, he would simply hunt the bat demon down and dispose of him, and no one would be the wiser, or the sadder; mourning was not made for those who lived in solitude.

He heard footsteps some minutes later, very quiet and nearly hidden. The bat demon's stealth was certainly not what one would call pathetic. Laughable to a master thief, certainly - but in the grand scheme of things, it was far above average ability. Folding his arms behind his back, he smiled and settled into a leisurely step through the plush grass, ears trained for any attempt on the bat's part to draw closer.

When nothing was said for several full moments, Kurama finally chose to cast an unhurriedly sly glance over his shoulder, golden eyes narrowed and glowing in the darkness. The trees shifted quietly around them, and outside of the whispering and their own touching of presences, there was nothing. "Are you following me?"

A moment of still silence followed his words, which rung almost audibly in the air. Kuronue had established himself some seven feet behind Kurama, but he fell a little further back into the shadows with the arrival of the question, invisible save for his glowing white skin and luminescent eyes. "Well," he hesitated after a moment more, ". . . I suppose I am."

"Hm." His inward reaction was far more pleased; he had honestly thought that it would take longer for the other to consider his offer. This whole reaction was very convenient. "Both our debts are paid, you are aware." Best to remind him, just in case . . .

"Yes."

Even better: there was hesitance in Kuronue's voice, but also fascination. He had caught the bat's interested. "And you still wish to follow?

". . . Yes."

Kurama stopped then, and Kuronue stopped as well, violet eyes wincing almost imperceptibly in nervousness. Ignoring the minute reaction in favor of turning fully, Kurama gave a long, searching stare that seemed to pass directly through the bat demon, his eyes narrowed and face expressionless. The leaves around them shifted, whispering, and were still again. Above, the dulled moon finally dipped below the horizon, and both figures were cast into the odd kind of pre-dawn darkness that seemed to move and whisper with light and greyness, though neither of those things had come yet. Despite this distraction, their eyes remained where they had been, focused on one another.

Then a long, slow smirk spread across the youko's lips and he inclined his head, pale side locks falling in twin whispers over his shoulders.

"Very well then."

_(BREAK)_

**A/N**: If that ending scene seemed a little odd in comparison to the rest of my writing, it was because I'd been reading gratuitous amounts of Interview With the Vampire beforehand. Blame Anne Rice; she brings out the description beast in me. I'm easily influenced by whatever I'm reading at the time. Expect long, Steinbeck-ish sentences soon; I've justfinished The Grapes of Wrath. (Fear, fear!)

And now . . . Response Time! (Man, I love you guys! (cries as she reads some of the reviews))

**To shadow dragon**: Hello again:) You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you back - I was worried that I'd lost people due to the long pause between chapters. O.o Guess I should be even more worried by this pause, ne? Now, as to your questions . . . very good choices. ;) About Kuronue leaving - perhaps some of you wondered exactly what events I was going to stuff into the flashback theme? That is one of them. ;) And, as to the paper - I shall say that it was very important. I'd like to say more, but then I'd be spoiling things. :P

**To Sunathaer**: SWEETIE! You reviewed me! Alright, now I'm all jazzed. XD I'm so glad that you like it so far - I'd like to say something more best-friend like (such as "How're you doing?"), but FFN is knuckling down, and I'd rather not get this story frozen for interactive review chatting until I've finished it. :P So, until I e-mail next - many hugs, m'dear!

**To Kabuki Malice**: Ola!As usual, you are my first reviewer for chapters. You make me feel so loved! ;.; What has been your favorite chapter so far, then? It's odd, but I think chapter five has been my favorite, just from a writing standpoint. Kurama especially was interesting to deal with in that one. And by deal with, I mean that he wrote himself - I've long since lost the characters in this piece. They're just using my fingers to speak with at this point. :P

**To kuranga108**: Oh my god! You have no idea how happy your review made me - I was literally bouncing up and down in my chair all while I was reading it. XD I'm so glad that people are enjoying this drivel! I'm also glad that the game is entertaining and not repetitive, and that the flashback/present day theme seems to be making sense; I didn't even _think_ that it might be confusing when I started the fic. O.o There was one thing I wanted to warn you about, though - you mentioned in your review on media miner (you reviewed me twice! XD) that you weren't a yaoi fan.

I don't want to ward you away from the fic, but I _really_ don't want you to be upset by some of the content. Kuronue and Kurama will be paired later in the fic, and while I don't plan on doing any particularly gratuitous scenes (I don't think I _can_), I also don't plan on pulling any punches; what I do mention, I'll be honest about, and describe thoroughly. This isn't an action/adventure piece, it's a relationship fic; I'm not even trying to focus on _this_ relationship as much as I'm trying to focus on a _demon_ relationship. I really want to delve into trying to fathom how a youkai relationship differs from a human one, and the most effective way to do that is to have examples- a.k.a, Kuronue and Youko.

Like I said, there won't be anything extremely graphic, but I thought it would be unfair to leave you unwarned. Whatever you decide, I'll completely understand. Thank you for the reviews, and I do hope to see you again in the future!

TD

**FANON/CANON**

1) "Kurama hadn't had a partner for several long centuries." - Totally made up. We never know if he had any partners (other than the Yomi thing, which I know nothing about, and plan to learn nothing about until I'm done with this story), so I'm taking creative license with this one.

2) Again, everything involving the desu tree is totally made up, and much of it isn't even accurate to the show. I have my fanony little excuses, but I'm not going to bore you with them (unless you e-mail me and request to be bored); I'll just claim creative author's license instead. :)

3) ""My mother had a child every ten years. I was from her first mate, along with eleven others."" - Hoo boy, is this stuff made up. I think I went temporarily insane with character growth. O.o And yes, before anybody asks, there is a one shot that I've written about Kuronue called _Smoother than Sunlight_, which covers all of his past, and is also one of three other fics that will accompany this one. Have I dropped any jaws yet? You all didn't think I was just going to stick to Youko Kurama, did you?

4) "But quite frankly, he was bored, and this was the first entertaining distraction to wander along for quite a while." - I couldn't really touch on this in the chapter because I'm writing it as a POV piece, and Kurama wouldn't dwell on a decision he'd already made- but this is really the ultimate reason for everything. That partnership offer may have seemed sudden, and I sort of made it that way on purpose. It all boils down to this; Kurama was bored, Kuronue was interesting, there was nothing more entertaining to do, killing him would have been too easy, and he likes manipulating people. Thus, he will take him as a partner, use him, mess with his head, etc. I always envisioned Youko as a sort of fickle character, and this kind proves the point, hm?


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